A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A. M. Yarima, who recently clashed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt in Abuja on Sunday evening.
Military sources told Vanguard that the officer 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 the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
According to the source, Lt. Yarima noticed the surveillance and executed a strategic maneuver that enabled him to evade the suspected assailants. The incident, which occurred at around 6:30 p.m., has since been reported to the relevant security authorities. The source added that the matter is under investigation and that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.
The development comes just days after the naval officer, while on duty at a disputed land site in Gaduwa District, engaged in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. The altercation, which was captured on video, went viral and prompted a swift intervention from the Presidency, which ordered an immediate halt to the demolition exercise at the site.
In the aftermath of the incident, military veterans across the country condemned Wike for verbally insulting the officer. They warned against any disciplinary action against Lt. Yarima. The Coalition of Retired Veterans, through its spokesman Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, vowed to “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer was punished, stressing that military personnel owe allegiance to the nation, not to public office holders.
Durowaiye-Herberts questioned the conduct of the minister, saying: “How can a public office holder call an officer a fool on camera?” He argued that such actions undermine national institutions and demean the dignity of leadership.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar has assured that no military personnel acting lawfully will be sanctioned over the altercation. Speaking at a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations at the National Defence College, he emphasized: “We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty. 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 should Lt. Yarima face any form of disciplinary action.
