In a recent interview on Arise News, General Lucky Irabor addressed the heated incident involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Naval Officer A.M. Yerima. The confrontation, which occurred a few days earlier, sparked widespread public debate, prompting various security experts and public figures to weigh in. General Irabor, however, offered a firm perspective rooted in the principles of military discipline and constitutional authority.
According to him, the issue is not about the age or perceived seniority of the officer involved but the symbolism and power embedded in the military uniform. He stressed that once an individual is in uniform, they embody state authority an authority that must be respected by all, including political leaders. “The uniform is not about who is wearing it,” Irabor emphasized. “The uniform represents the authority of the state. Whether he is a small boy or not, it is the authority of the state.”
He went further to highlight the seriousness of undermining or speaking disrespectfully to a commissioned officer, noting that such officers carry the President’s commission and operate under the mandate of the Commander-in-Chief. In his words, “It’s even worse when it is a commissioned officer who has a presidential commission. When you make such disparaging comments, you have desecrated the oath, so it is wrong.” He added that by doing so, one indirectly tells the authority that appointed the officer that they have acted foolishly a message he described as unacceptable.
General Irabor also touched on the legal implications of the situation, noting that both civil and military law establish processes for handling misconduct. “Law has two ends. We also studied law,” he said. “In military law, we are taught that for you to establish a crime, there are two elements. If you have any reason to believe that what the young man is doing is wrong, there is a channel that is the rule of law.”
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