Sowore Slams Military For Guarding Disputed Abuja Land

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Nigerian military for deploying personnel to guard a disputed plot of land in Abuja, calling it a case of misplaced priorities.

The controversy followed a confrontation on Tuesday between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and soldiers who reportedly stopped him from accessing the land said to belong to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd.).

In a viral video, Wike expressed outrage that armed personnel were blocking enforcement officials from the FCT Administration, insisting that no one was above the law.

Reacting on his X handle, Sowore said the military’s involvement in a private land matter showed how public institutions had been captured by elite interests. “The military’s primary responsibility is to protect Nigeria’s borders, but instead, it is guarding a plot of land for a retired officer,” he wrote. “This is the kind of corruption and self-interest destroying this country — and Wike himself is not innocent.”

Sowore recalled a similar incident during Wike’s time as Rivers State governor, when he allegedly stopped EFCC officials from arresting a judge. “It’s the same cycle of impunity,” he said.

The video has sparked a flurry of reactions online. While some Nigerians backed Wike for standing up to the military, others said the issue should be properly investigated.

Social commentator Zara Onyinye also joined the debate, criticising former aviation minister Osita Chidoka for calling on Wike to apologise to the military. She argued that civilian authority remains supreme in a democracy and that the FCT minister, as the President’s appointee, had every right to enforce the law.

“Imagine if it were Soludo or a governor from the South-East that a soldier disrespected — would Chidoka say the same thing?” she asked, adding that the military had no business defending a retired officer in a land dispute.

She also claimed the land issue had dragged on for over a year and that soldiers had repeatedly been used to intimidate FCTA officials and residents.

“The barracks and war front are where soldiers belong, not on private property. This is democracy, not a military regime,” Onyinye said.

As of press time, the Nigerian Navy has not issued any statement on the matter. Navy spokesman A. Adams-Aliyu said there was “no reply for now.”