The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has said police officers have no business escorting parties for land recovery.

He said, "Let me reiterate without ambiguity. The Nigerian Police Force is not and will not become an enforcer for private interest. Officers have no business to escort parties for land recovery, disrupting legal existing occupations or meddling in civil claims without a demonstrable criminal element. Every such incident erodes the neutrality of the force and opens us up to disrepute'.'

Egbetokun said this a month before some police officers escorted the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to recover a land in Abuja, during which a confrontation ensued between Wike and a naval officer.

Meanwhile, a former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has taken a swipe at Wike and the naval officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, following their clash in the Gaduwa area of Abuja.

Sowore, reacting to the viral video of the confrontation between the men over land ownership, called out the security personnel, questioning why a uniformed officer would be protecting the private land of a senior officer.

According to him, in a post on X, the social activist criticised the military for abandoning its constitutional duty of protecting Nigeria’s borders to defend the private interests of senior officers.

He wrote: “The military’s primary responsibility is to safeguard the country’s borders, but instead, it is devoting resources to protect a parcel of land for a high-ranking officer, allegedly acting on ‘orders’.”

He described the situation as a reflection of “the pervasive self-interest among officials who cater to the privileged few at the expense of national security,” adding that Wike was not exempt from such conduct.

The human rights campaigner recalled a similar incident during Wike’s tenure as Governor of Rivers State, accusing him of obstructing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from performing its duties.

“As Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike once stood in the way of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officers—gun blazing—stopping them from arresting a corrupt judge friend of his. What a country!” he wrote.

Sowore’s reaction adds to the growing public debate over the viral confrontation, with many Nigerians divided between supporting Wike’s assertiveness in land administration and condemning what others describe as executive overreach.

The military authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

ASA