A dramatic confrontation unfolded on Tuesday in Abuja’s Gaduwa District as armed military officers, allegedly acting on the instructions of retired Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, resisted efforts by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to halt an unapproved development on a disputed parcel of land.

The incident occurred when officials of the FCT Administration (FCTA) arrived at Plot 1946 in Gaduwa to enforce a demolition order on what authorities described as an illegal structure.

The operation, however, met stiff resistance from uniformed personnel stationed at the site.

Former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Gambo, served under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021.

His name reportedly surfaced as the alleged owner or beneficiary of the controversial property.

Tensions heightened when Wike, accompanied by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, and other senior officials, arrived at the location but was initially denied access by the armed personnel.

Despite attempts by the commanding officer—identified as Naval Air Vice Marshal Yerima—to prevent the minister’s entry, Wike’s security aides forced their way through to enable the minister to inspect the site.

Visibly angered by the defiance, Wike described the development as a clear case of “land grabbing,” vowing that the administration would not succumb to intimidation by any group, no matter how powerful.

“Despite the military intimidation, I will not succumb or allow this land grabbing. It’s an illegality that must not stand,” he declared.

The minister accused the developers of erecting structures on government land without approval or title documents, insisting that due process must be followed in all land transactions within the territory.

In his defence, the commanding naval officer maintained that his team was acting under superior instructions, claiming that the documents related to the land had been duly submitted to the relevant authorities for verification.

“This is not an illegal development,” he asserted. “I have forwarded all the documents to the officials in charge.”

The tense standoff underscores the renewed crackdown by the Wike-led FCT Administration on illegal developments and encroachments across the capital city, a campaign that has often pitched the minister against powerful interests and institutions.