Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), has condemned the recent confrontation between Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and a military officer in Abuja, describing the minister’s actions as a grave threat to national security.

Viral videos circulated on Tuesday showed Wike in a heated exchange with military personnel over a disputed plot of land in the nation’s capital. Reacting through a statement, Buratai said Wike’s public outburst was not just an act of misconduct but an affront to the authority of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“His public disparagement of a uniformed officer of the Nigerian Armed Forces transcends mere misconduct; it represents a palpable threat to national security and institutional integrity,” Buratai said. “A minister’s verbal assault on a military officer in uniform is an act of profound indiscipline that strikes at the core of our nation’s command and control structure.”

He warned that such actions, if left unchecked, could erode the foundation of discipline on which Nigeria’s security institutions are built. Buratai described the incident as “reckless endangerment of national order” and “an indication of undermining the federal government’s authority.”

The former army chief called on Wike to tender an unreserved apology to President Tinubu and the officer involved, stressing that respect for the military remains essential to maintaining national stability.

“Our nation’s security must come first. It is time for decisive action, not politics of military bashing. The integrity of our Armed Forces demands nothing less,” he added.