Lt. A.M. Yarima reportedly evades assailants days after tense land dispute with FCT Minister
A Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. A.M. Yarima, who recently had a viral confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.
According to a Vanguard report, Yarima was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates, following him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way. Noticing the surveillance, the officer executed a “strategic maneuver” and evaded the assailants around 6:30 p.m.
The incident comes days after Yarima clashed with Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The confrontation, captured on video, sparked nationwide debate and led the Presidency to halt the demolition exercise.
Military veterans criticised Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected calls for Yarima’s punishment. Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, warned ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if Yarima faced disciplinary action. He stressed that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria, not individual officials and insisted Wike must apologise.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, saying such conduct undermines national institutions.
Defence Minister Mohammad Badaru Abubakar assured that no military personnel acting lawfully would be sanctioned. “Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well,” he said at the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day briefing.
Source: Vanguard News
