Is the Military bigger than Constituted Authorities?

The recent saga between a young naval officer and the FCT Minister is indeed a lack of respect of constituted authorities by the military.

My honest opinion about this saga is as follows:
1: We must make the Nigerian army stop maltreating Nigerians. Soldiers join the army to help and keep Nigerians safe from other countries, not to hurt the people they are supposed to protect

2: It is important for all Nigerians to know that Officer Yerima should not have been at that place. He wasn’t there on National duties, which was against the rules.
Would Officer Yerima have gone to that place if a retired general didn’t own it? Serving soldiers should not take orders from retired officers.
If the person who went there was a regular citizen just minding his business, would Officer Yerima and his team have been polite? They likely would have treated him badly, maybe by hurting him or locking him up for no reason. This is how the Nigerian army often treats people.

Let’s call a spade a spade, officer Yetima was in the wrong, but this is not to say that the FCT minister should not exercise decorum as a public official.

It is obvious here exists a clash of national values. In a democracy, the military is meant to be statutorily subservient to civilian authority, and in order of hierarchy, a minister ranks about as a military General

My 2 pennies

The SchoolMother writes from Igbejo, Oje Ibadan
17/11/2025