A Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yarima, on Sunday narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Abuja, days after his widely publicised confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Military sources told Vanguard that the officer was trailed around 6:30 p.m. by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans.
The vehicles, which bore no number plates, reportedly stalked him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
Sensing danger, Yarima was said to have executed a “strategic manoeuvre,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident is now under investigation.
A senior military source confirmed that the matter is being handled with “the seriousness it deserves,” adding that further details are being withheld to avoid jeopardising ongoing security operations.
The development comes barely a week after a heated confrontation between Yarima and the FCT Minister at a disputed land site in Gaduwa District.
The altercation, caught on video, triggered nationwide reactions and forced the Presidency to halt the demolition exercise at the site.
Following the clash, military veterans condemned Wike’s remarks toward the officer and warned against any attempt to sanction him.
The Coalition of Retired Veterans, through its spokesman Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, vowed to “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if Yarima faced disciplinary action.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” Durowaiye-Herberts queried, insisting that such behaviour demeans the military and lowers the dignity of public office.
In response, the Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar, assured that no personnel acting within the law would be punished over the incident.
“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” he said during a briefing ahead of the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
Veterans have maintained their stance, insisting they will mobilise if any sanction is imposed on Lt. Yarima.
