By Onilede Titi Faith
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional law expert, Prof. Sebastine Hon, has described the conduct of Naval Officer A.M. Yerima during his confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a “breach of the law.”
Reacting to the viral incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hon condemned Yerima’s attempt to obstruct the minister from accessing a disputed parcel of land in Abuja, saying no lawful military order could justify such action.
Citing Supreme Court rulings, the SAN noted that no officer is bound to obey an illegal or unjust command.
“No service law permits a serving officer to mount guard at a private construction site of his superior, especially under suspicious circumstances,” he said, adding that such matters should be handled by the civil police.
Hon stressed that Wike, by virtue of Sections 297(2) and 302 of the 1999 Constitution, exercises the President’s powers over land administration in the FCT.
He maintained that while Wike’s approach may have seemed “brash,” his actions were lawful, unlike the officer’s defiance of civil authority.
He warned that celebrating such insubordination could embolden security operatives to challenge civil authority, saying the officer could face court-martial under Section 114 of the Armed Forces Act.
The confrontation occurred at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, Abuja, when FCTA officials, on Wike’s directive, attempted to enforce a stop-work order on a site allegedly linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
