A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. A.M. Yarima—who recently made headlines over a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike—reportedly survived an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.
According to military sources quoted by Vanguard, Yarima was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates. The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
The officer was said to have noticed the surveillance and executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully shaking off the suspected assailants around 6:30 p.m.
Sources noted that the matter is currently under investigation and is being treated with “the seriousness it deserves,” while further details are being withheld to avoid compromising the probe.
This incident comes just days after Lt. Yarima was involved in a tense confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike at a disputed land site in Gaduwa District. The clash—captured on video—sparked national outrage and forced the Presidency to halt the planned demolition at the location.
Following the altercation, military veterans across the country condemned Wike for verbally insulting the officer. The Coalition of Retired Veterans, through its spokesman Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, warned that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if Yarima faced any punishment.
Durowaiye-Herberts stressed that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria—not individual officeholders—and insisted that Wike must apologise.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he queried, describing the minister’s conduct as disrespectful to national institutions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar has reassured the military community that no officer performing lawful duties will be sanctioned.
“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” Badaru said during a briefing ahead of the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations. “Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well.”