The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and an unidentified military officer were involved in a heated confrontation on Tuesday over an alleged land-grabbing incident at the Gaduwa District in Abuja.
Our correspondent obtained a video of the altercation, in which Wike accused the officer of illegally taking ownership of a block of land.
The visibly enraged minister questioned why the military was claiming the property solely because it was linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.
“Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff? ” Wike said.
The officer, clothed in military camouflage, interrupted the minister to insist that the acquisition was legal and that he had operated with integrity.
“I am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally,” he replied.
Wike, infuriated by the interruption, ordered the officer to be quiet.
“I will not shut up,” the officer responded.
The heated exchange escalated as Wike retorted, “You are a very big fool. As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school.”
However, the officer insisted that he was sent to the site on official orders.
“You will see if you will not leave here. Go and develop there and let me see,” Wike fired back as the confrontation exacerbated.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the military nor the Federal Capital Territory Administration had issued an official statement on the incident.
Disputes over land and illegal allocations have been a persistent problem in Abuja. The FCTA, under Wike, has intensified efforts to curb unauthorized land acquisition, illegal property development, and encroachments on government-designated areas.
Since taking office in August 2023, Wike has ordered multiple demolitions of what he calls illegal structures, aiming to restore the Abuja Master Plan.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
