Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru has defended the action of Lieutenant Yerima, the naval officer who stood up to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, over a disputed parcel of land allegedly belonging to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.

"We will always protect our officer. He has done well. We won't allow anything to happen to him," Badaru said concerning the incident on Tuesday..

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have it that Wike has imposed a total ban on the use of mobile phones by employees of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) and the Department of Land Administration.

The directive comes in the wake of a viral video showing Wike’s heated exchange with the naval officer, which sparked widespread reactions online.

The controversial directive, contained in an internal memo sighted by SaharaReporters, targets all officers on Salary Grade Level 14 and below, forbidding them from entering office premises with their mobile phones beginning Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

The memo, issued by AGIS Management, reads in part: “There shall be a ban on the use of mobile phones within the office premises for all officers on Salary Grade Level (SGL) 14 and below… affected staff are not permitted to enter the premises with their mobile phones henceforth.”

It was issued by the Head of AGIS, Chijioke Nwankwoeze.

Sources within AGIS told SaharaReporters that the directive came barely 24 hours after videos of Wike’s heated confrontation with a Naval officer at a disputed property site in Abuja went viral on WhatsApp groups reportedly shared by AGIS staff.

“The minister was furious that the videos circulated among staff. He saw it as an act of sabotage. This phone ban is his way of showing anger,” said one source who asked not to be named.

The policy has sparked outrage among workers and civil rights advocates, who condemned it as primitive, draconian, and anti-labour. Critics say it reflects Wike’s growing intolerance for criticism and his penchant for authoritarian control.

“It’s absurd that in 2025, a minister would ban phones in a public agency because of a viral video,” one labour activist fumed. “This is not leadership—it’s paranoia in power.”

ASA