Ex-CDS Irabor: Wike disrespected Tinubu by verbally attacking military officer

Lucky Irabor, a former chief of defence staff (CDS), has faulted the conduct of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), in his recent confrontation with a military officer.

Irabor spoke on Thursday in Abuja during a national dialogue on media, terrorism and national security at the 21st All Nigeria Editors’ Conference (ANEC) 2025.

Viral clips showed the minister being stopped by military personnel from accessing a disputed parcel of land, leading to a heated exchange and kerfuffle.

As tempers flared, Wike called the naval officer, identified as Lt AM Yerima, “a fool”.

Reacting to the incident, the former defence chief said the core issue is the sanctity of the uniform and the oath of service it represents.

“The uniform is not about who is wearing it. The uniform represents the authority of the state. Whether it’s a small boy or not, it is the authority of the state,” he said.

Irabor added that aiming disparaging words at the soldier amounts to abusing the authority vested in the military by President Bola Tinubu.

“It’s even worse when it is a commission led officer who has a presidential commission. And so when you make such disparaging comments, you have desecrated the oath,” he said.

“What you have told the commander-in-chief and the authority that invested that position on him is that they are fools. So it is wrong.”

Irabor also deployed military law in arguing that the minister’s conduct should be viewed from the standpoint of intention and action.

According to him, the debate should not revolve around whether the minister has authority over land or whether the soldier acted outside his mandate.

He said the focus should instead be on whether the minister’s remarks violated the dignity of the state.

“In military law, we are taught that for you to be able to establish a crime, there are two elements: actus reus and mens rea. Actus reus, meaning that was this thing done? And then the mens rea, what is the intention behind it?” he said.

“Now, if you have any reason to believe that what the young man is doing is wrong, there is a channel for that. That’s the rule of law. So you desecrating the oath is an offence against the state.”

He urged the media to help educate the public on the significance of the oath of office and the symbolism of the uniform, saying there is a decline in civic education in Nigeria.

“These are things that primary school pupils, secondary school pupils ought to know,” he said.

Irabor was chief of defence staff, under then President Muhammadu Buhari, from 2021 to 2023.