A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and constitutional law expert, Prof. Sebastine Hon, has faulted the conduct of Naval Officer A.M. Yerima in his confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, describing the officer’s actions as a breach of the law.
Reacting to the incident in a Facebook post today, Hon condemned the officer’s decision to obstruct Wike’s access to a disputed plot of land in Abuja, saying the act could not be justified under any lawful military order.
Hon cited Supreme Court rulings in Onunze v. State (2023) 8 NWLR (Pt. 1885) 61 and Nigeria Air Force v. James (2002) 18 NWLR (Pt. 798) 295, which, according to him, clearly established that military officers are not bound to obey illegal or manifestly unjust orders, adding that if security concerns existed, the retired Naval Officer ought, under the circumstances, to have engaged the civil police.
He further stressed that as the FCT minister, Wike exercises the powers of the President over land administration in Abuja, pursuant to Sections 297(2) and other provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
