Naval officer who confronted Wike in viral video escapes alleged assassination attempt in Abuja

A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. A.M. Yerima who recently clashed with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike reportedly survived an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.

According to military sources quoted by Vanguard, Yerima was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and travelling in two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates. The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station along the Kubwa Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.

The officer, noticing the surveillance, was said to have carried out a “strategic maneuver” that enabled him to evade the suspected attackers. The incident reportedly took place around 6:30 p.m.

Sources added that the matter is currently under investigation and is being treated with “the seriousness it deserves,” though further details are being withheld to avoid compromising the process.

This development follows days after Lt. Yerima, while on duty alongside other security personnel, was involved in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Wike over a disputed land site in the Gaduwa District. The clash captured on video triggered widespread debate and led to intervention from the Presidency, which subsequently suspended the demolition exercise at the centre of the dispute.

In the aftermath, military veterans across the country condemned Wike for verbally insulting the officer and rejected suggestions that Yerima should face disciplinary action.

Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if any punishment was meted out to Yerima.

He stressed that military loyalty is to the nation, 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 asked, arguing that such behaviour undermines national institutions and demeans the dignity of public office.

Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar has assured that no military personnel acting within the law will be sanctioned over the incident.

“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” Badaru stated during a ministerial briefing ahead of 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 should Lt. Yerima face any disciplinary measures.