NAVAL OFFICER WHO CONFRONTED NYESOM WIKE ALLEGEDLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Naval Lieutnant AM Yerima allegedly escaped assassination attempt in Abuja

Lieutenant AM Yerima – the young Naval Officer who recently confronted Nysom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory, was allegedly said to have escaped assassination attempt in Abuja, on Sunday, November 16, 2025. This was reported by the Vanguard Newspaper.

The Vanguard Newspaper reported Military sources as having said “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”.

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 of investigation.

The development comes days after Lt. Yerima, while on duty with other security personnel, at Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, Abuja, 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.”

The big question waiting to be answered is: Who are those that are behind the attack on this young officer – who was applauded by the top Military High Command, including General Lucky Irabor – retired Chief of Defense Staff [CDS], for behaving professionally proficient, in view of the verbal attack and harassment Nyesom Wike submitted him to?

The ongoing military investigation expectedly shall unravel everything and The Guru – currently following the story, shall report facts of the investigation accordingly.