Authorities in Abuja are investigating a suspected assassination attempt on Nigerian Navy officer Lt. A.M. Yarima, who reportedly evaded unidentified men trailing him through the capital on Sunday evening.
The incident adds fresh tension to a rapidly escalating national conversation already fuelled by his recent confrontation with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
According to military insiders who spoke with Vanguard, the officer was followed by two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates shortly after leaving the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway. The men inside, described as dressed entirely in black, allegedly tracked him through the city corridor to Gado Nasco Way around 6:30 p.m.
Sensing the surveillance, Yarima executed what sources called a “strategic maneuver,” managing to break free from the suspected assailants. Officials say the matter is now under active investigation and is being handled with “the seriousness it deserves,” though details remain limited to avoid compromising the probe.
The attempted attack comes just days after Lt. Yarima was filmed in a heated exchange with Minister Nyesom Wike during a dispute over a land site in the Gaduwa District. The footage which showed Wike berating security personnel went viral, drawing sharp criticism nationwide and prompting the Presidency to suspend the land demolition exercise.
The clash triggered outrage across Nigeria’s military community, with veterans publicly condemning the minister’s conduct. Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, warned that former service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if any disciplinary action were taken against Yarima. He questioned why a public official would address an officer in such demeaning terms, citing Wike’s comment: “How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?”
Veterans argued that service members swear loyalty to Nigeria alone and insisted that the minister must apologise to the officer.
Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar later moved to calm tensions, assuring that no military personnel acting within the law would face sanctions. “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. “Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well.”
With pressure mounting and an active investigation underway, the attempted attack on Lt. Yarima has deepened public concern over the safety of security personnel caught in political flashpoints across the country.
