Wike’s Aide Slams Buratai: Military Officers Being Converted to “Mai Guard”

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has criticized former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, over remarks linking a dispute involving Wike and some military officers to a national security risk.

Buratai had suggested that the disagreement between Wike and military officers over a plot of land allegedly grabbed in Abuja could pose security concerns. Responding on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Olayinka dismissed the claim and accused the former army chief of overlooking the real issue: military officers trained to fight terrorists being diverted to guard private property.

“When I read that statement coming from the former Chief of Army Staff, Buratai, I was like he’s not concerned about soldiers who should be at the war front, confronting terrorists in Borno, being converted into private guards—‘Mai guard’—for an uncompleted building,” Olayinka said.

He questioned the alleged security threat posed by the land dispute, emphasizing that soldiers’ deployment to protect uncompleted structures diverts them from fighting insurgents in critical areas like the Chad Basin.

“You are protecting property under construction instead of protecting Nigerians where it truly matters,” Olayinka added. “What security threat does it pose to you or me? None. And a former chief of army staff is more concerned about officers performing unlawful duties.”

The aide’s comments highlight growing concern over military deployment priorities and the diversion of troops from frontline security operations to private assignments.