The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru has assured personnel that the Ministry of Defence and the Military High Command will protect every soldier carrying out lawful duties across the country.
Badaru gave the assurance while addressing journalists during a Ministerial Press conference on the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Celebration and Remembrance Day, held on Wednesday at the National Defence College, Abuja.
The remarks came amid public concerns over viral clips on social media showing an altercation between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a naval officer, Lieutenant A. M. Yerima, on Tuesday.
The dispute reportedly involved the development of a piece of land in Abuja belonging to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (Rtd).
Badaru emphasized that the Ministry would not allow any officer carrying out lawful duties to be harassed or threatened.
“At the Ministry, and indeed within the Armed Forces, we will always protect our officers on lawful duty,” he said.
Badaru further promised that the matter was under review, stressing that officers who perform their duties responsibly would receive full institutional backing.
“We are looking into this issue, and we assure that any officer on lawful duty will be protected highly. We will not allow anything to happen to him so far as he is doing his job, and he is doing his job greatly well,” the Minister stated.