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A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lt. A.M. Yarima reportedly escaped an assassination attempt in Abuja on Sunday evening.
Military sources said Yarima was being trailed by unidentified men dressed in black, riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates.
The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
The officer reportedly noticed the surveillance and executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m.
The matter is under investigation and is being treated with the seriousness it deserves, with further details withheld to avoid compromising the process.
The development comes days after Lt. Yarima, while on duty with other security personnel, had a tense confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, 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 Yarima.
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 Lt. Yarima faced any punishment.
He added that military personnel owe allegiance to Nigeria not individual officials and insisted that Wike must apologise for calling the officer “a fool” on camera, a remark he said undermines national institutions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar assured that no law-abiding military personnel would be sanctioned over the incident. “We will always protect officers performing their duties lawfully,” he said.
Veterans had earlier vowed to mobilise and occupy the FCT Ministry if Lt. Yarima faced any form of disciplinary action.
