A dramatic security scare unfolded in Abuja on Sunday evening as Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, narrowly evaded what military insiders suspect to be a planned assassination attempt.
According to senior security sources, the officer was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no registration numbers. The vehicles reportedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station along the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way at about 6:30 p.m.
Realising he was being monitored, Lt. Yerima executed what sources described as a “tactical manoeuvre,” successfully shaking off the suspicious convoy. The incident, now under active investigation, is being treated with utmost seriousness, though officials are withholding further details to protect the integrity of ongoing inquiries.
This development comes on the heels of Lt. Yerima’s widely publicised confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, at a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The encounter, captured on video, sparked national debate and prompted intervention from the Presidency, which halted the demolition exercise at the centre of the dispute.
In the wake of the clash, military veterans across the country condemned Wike’s remarks toward the young officer and warned against any disciplinary action. Coalition of Retired Veterans spokesman, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, criticised the minister’s conduct, insisting that the dignity of the Armed Forces must be upheld.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, stressing that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria, not individual office holders. The group vowed to mobilise and occupy the FCT Ministry if any punitive steps were taken against Lt. Yerima.
Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar, has since reassured the public that no officer acting within the law will face sanctions. He reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding personnel deployed on lawful duties.
“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” he said during a ministerial briefing tied to preparations for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day. “Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well.”
