Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has shed light on the minister’s recent confrontation with some soldiers in Abuja, claiming that a former Chief of Naval Staff was deceived in a land transaction.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Olayinka explained that the disputed plot in the Gaduwa district was originally allocated in 2007 to a private company, Santos Estate Limited, for park and recreational use.
He said the firm later attempted to rezone the property for commercial development without official approval.
"That particular land was allocated to a company in 2007 for park and recreation. The company did not develop the land because that area is a road corridor, you don’t build there," Olayinka said.
He added that in 2022, the company wrote to the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCTDA) seeking to convert the land’s purpose to commercial use, and subsequently began partitioning and selling it to unsuspecting buyers, among them, the former Chief of Naval Staff.
"I want to say here that the former Chief of Naval Staff was scammed, and he has realised that he was scammed. Instead of coming forward to seek help, he resorted to using military might," Olayinka said.
The clarification follows a tense altercation on Tuesday between Wike, his entourage, and military personnel who reportedly blocked access to the disputed property.
In a video that went viral, the minister was seen confronting the soldiers, questioning their authority to prevent a government inspection.
"This is unprofessional. You cannot be threatening a minister like this," one of Wike’s aides was heard saying during the incident.
Visibly angered, Wike accused the soldiers of acting unlawfully, insisting that "no one is above the law."
"We cannot continue to act with impunity. You cannot be carrying a gun to intimidate anybody. I am not one of those they can intimidate," he said.
The former Naval Chief has yet to publicly comment on the matter, though soldiers at the site reportedly claimed he held valid documents to the land.
Also, as of press time, the military authorities had not issued an official statement on the confrontation.
READ ALSO: 'I Won’t Be Intimidated': Wike Slams Soldiers Over Abuja Land Dispute
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