A former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has lashed out at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

He accused Wike of trying to deny that he insulted a Naval officer during a confrontation over a disputed plot of land in Abuja.

Recall that the incident occurred on Tuesday, 11 November, when Wike visited a site said to belong to a former Chief of Naval Staff.

Naval Lieutenant A.M. Yerima and his team had been deployed to the site to protect workers, leading to a heated exchange between both men.

During the faceoff, Wike was heard shouting at Yerima, saying: “Shut up your mouth, who does that? Will you keep quiet? Are you a big fool? You are a big fool.”

Following criticisms, Wike at a press conference on Thursday, 14 November denied insulting the officer.

He claimed his comment was misinterpreted and insisted he would never demean the military.

“Some people said I said the boy ‘you are a fool’. What I meant was this, you cannot be carrying out an illegal order, that is what I meant. I didn’t say ‘the military, you are a fool’,” Wike said.

Reacting to the latest denial by Wike, Melaye mocked him and said: “With eleven microphones, he attempts a denial of what he said with no microphone. Spirit of error na shege."