Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Barely a week after his altercation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, a naval officer, Lt. A.M. Yerima, on Sunday evening escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Abuja.
According to reports, the officer was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates. The suspects allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Kubwa Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
Sensing danger, Yerima was said to have executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident reportedly occurred around 6:30 p.m.
A military source confirmed that the matter is under investigation and is receiving “the seriousness it deserves,” adding that further details are being withheld so as not to compromise the process.
Ikengaonline had earlier reported that Yerima engaged in a heated argument with Minister Wike last week over a disputed land site in the Gaduwa District. The clash, captured on video, triggered nationwide debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which halted the demolition exercise at the site.
Following the incident, military veterans across the country criticised Wike for verbally attacking the officer and dismissed 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 any punitive action was taken against the officer. He stressed that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria—not to individual officeholders—and insisted that Wike must apologise.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, arguing that such conduct undermines national institutions and demeans 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 disciplinary action.
