Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday criticised what he called a deliberate misinterpretation of his confrontation with naval personnel led by Lt. A.M. Yerima earlier in the week.

Speaking at his residence in Life Camp, Wike dismissed comments by former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), who had accused him of endangering national security and undermining President Bola Tinubu.

The minister said Buratai’s position was unfounded and insisted that the retired general had no moral authority to lecture him on proper conduct.

Wike also rejected Buratai’s call for him to apologise to Lt. Yerima over the clash that occurred in Abuja’s Gaduwa District, stressing that the officer acted improperly during the disagreement.

He further criticised Yerima for enforcing what he described as an unlawful directive regarding a contentious plot linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo. According to Wike, the land in question was illegally acquired, and the FCT Administration was right to take action.

The minister maintained that the naval officer’s conduct violated established regulations and underscored the need for all security operatives to respect civil authority and the rule of law.

Wike said: “I read what one former Chief of Army Staff wrote. He cannot tell me of decency and he can’t teach me. This was the same man who (allegedly) directed his GOC to rig election, my election in 2019. He couldn’t rig me. He lost.

“He told his GOC to kill me and I could not be killed. He became an agent in APC primaries to one of APC’s presidential aspirants. Look at the rank of a polling agent. He is the one commenting that the minister did this and that. I have never seen people like this.

“I have no regrets for my political opponents. I will continue to make them have sleepless nights. Whether you are in PDP, whether you are in APC, whether you are in ADC, it is not my business.

” I have no regrets supporting President Tinubu and I have never hidden my intention and I will continue to do what is right. So, if you like to write anything you want to write, as far as I know, I am standing by the side of the law. If you like, bring every ethnicity coloration, it is your business”.

Wike also faulted Lt. Yerima for the part he played by insisting he acted within the purview of his authority as a Minister representing President Bola Tinubu.

He said: “I mean, anybody should know. Yes, you are a young man and you are a commissioned officer. Mr man, I am a Minister and I’m representing Mr. President. That alone should have given you that decorum. But no, no you chose to challenge the Minister representing the President.

“And then you think that I am not a human being, I have no emotions. You are carrying out an illegal job. When people say, Order, do you need to carry out an illegal order? When you are an officer, you are doing something illegal. Even if it’s a legal order given to you, that job you are doing is illegal. I went there as an institution not a private individual, they arrested our officials”.