Lieutenant Yerima escapes assassination attempt in Abuja

By Kingsley Omonobi

A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. A.M. Yerima, who recently had a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.

Military sources told Vanguard that Yerima was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates. The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off Kubwa Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.

According to the source, the officer noticed the surveillance and executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident reportedly occurred around 6:30 p.m.

The source added that the matter is under investigation and is receiving “the seriousness it deserves,” noting that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.

The development comes days after Lt. Yerima, while on duty with other security personnel, engaged in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The clash, captured on video, sparked widespread public debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which subsequently halted the demolition exercise at the site.

Following the incident, military veterans nationwide criticised Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected calls for disciplinary action against Yerima.

Spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer faced any punishment.

He stressed that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria—not individual public officials—and insisted that Wike must apologise for his remarks.

“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, adding that such conduct undermines national institutions and demeans the dignity of public office.

Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar has assured that no military personnel acting lawfully will be sanctioned over the altercation.

“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” Badaru said during a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations at the National Defence College.

“Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well.”

Veterans had earlier vowed to mobilise and occupy the FCT Ministry if Lt. Yerima faced any form of disciplinary action.