12/11/2025
MIN.WIKE VS SOLDIER/NAVAL OFFICER (Part1)
Before You Drag That Soldier, Read What the Law Says.
Before we start shouting that “a soldier has no business in civil matters,” let us go back to what the law actually says.
The 1999 Constitution (Section 217(2)) gives the Armed Forces five core duties:
1. Defend Nigeria from external aggression.
2. Maintain territorial integrity.
3. Secure our borders.
4. Suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities when ordered by the President.
5. Perform any other role assigned by an Act of the National Assembly.
Then the ARMED FORCES ACT adds the professional obligations of every soldier:
1. Obey lawful orders from superior officers.
2. Maintain discipline and follow command structure.
3. Carry out assigned operations within the limits of the law.
So when some lawyers say “a soldier must not involve himself in civil matters,” the statement is only partly correct.
A soldier cannot on his own jump into civil issues.
But a soldier can act in a civil matter if there is a lawful directive from the proper authority.
In this Abuja case, the soldier said he was acting under an order not to allow the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to demolish a particular building.
If that order came through the proper military command and is lawful, the soldier is simply carrying out his constitutional and statutory duty of obeying command.
The real question should not be:
“Why is a soldier involved?”
The real question should be:
Was the order he received lawful, valid, and from the right authority?
Because in military law, the duty to obey lawful orders is not optional.for a serving minister to call a serving military personnel fool and stupid,is a disrespect to the federal government,the president and the entire country defense forces, because if the down is dirty that means the up us equally dirty,
Please Wait for the part 2.
