Police Reject Assasination Claim As Wike–Yerima Clash Sparks Debate

FCT police dismiss claims of an assassination attempt on Lt Ahmed Yerima as viral video of his clash with FCT minister Nyesom Wike fuels debate over land grabbing and military civility.

Atlantic Post

November 17, 2025

2–4 minutes

Abuja land, Bello Matawalle, FCT Police, Femi Falana, Investigative, Land grabbing, Military Civility, Wike, Yerima

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has firmly denied social-media reports that an assassination attempt was made on Lieutenant Ahmed Yerima following his now-viral on-site confrontation with the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

The force’s public relations officer, SP Josephine Adeh, described the allegation as false and unverified. It is capable of provoking needless public alarm. She urged citizens to rely on official emergency lines for verified reports.

The footage that ignited the row shows a heated exchange at a disputed site in the Gaduwa district of Abuja. Uniformed naval personnel had reportedly been deployed to guard a development. This development is allegedly linked to a former service chief.

The clip, widely circulated on Tuesday, shows Mr Wike demanding to see documentary approval from those there. Lieutenant Yerima and other security operatives stood their ground. The existence and circulation of the video are confirmed by multiple outlets and online postings.

Crucially, the Defence Ministry’s posture has been conciliatory. Honourable Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, told DCL Hausa it would be disproportionate to subject Lt Yerima to disciplinary sanction. He described the public reaction to the incident as exaggerated. He also noted that steps had been taken to defuse the tension.

That view shifts the focus from immediate punitive measures to institutional balance between civilian authority and military discipline.

The episode has attracted legal and human-rights scrutiny. Senior Advocate Femi Falana has urged President Bola Tinubu to ask Mr Wike to apologise. He characterised Mr Wike’s language as uncomplimentary and directed at a serving naval officer. He warned that ministers have no licence to abuse citizens even where breaches of law may have occurred.

Other senior lawyers have also commented that both parties have erred in law. This legal reading complicates any simple political narrative.

Context matters. Abuja’s rapid expansion is significant. Metropolitan population estimates now range around four million. These numbers continue to rise. This growth creates intense pressure on land, planning, and enforcement.

That pressure has fed a long history of contested allocations. There has been alleged land-grabbing both inside and around the FCT. This is the background against which this confrontation must be read.

Investigations and long-form reporting in recent years have documented recurring disputes over master-plan violations. These reports highlight irregular allotments. The Wike–Yerima episode is seen as symptomatic of a deeper governance problem.

For editors and investigators the central questions are practical and constitutional.

Who authorised the security presence at the site and on whose instructions were the soldiers acting?

Did the minister’s intervention follow established administrative procedure for suspected master-plan violations?

And how should the civilian chain of command, ministerial authority and military discipline be reconciled when they collide in public?

The Defence Ministry’s insistence on restraint and the Police Command’s dismissal of assassination claims do not close those questions.

This newsroom will continue its checks. The public should treat viral claims with caution. They should rely on official channels for confirmation.

The incident is not just an isolated spectacle. It is a flashpoint revealing fragile civil-military relations. It also exposes endemic problems in land governance in the nation’s capital.

Our investigation will track documentary approvals for the development. It will also examine chain-of-command records for the security deployment. We will review any formal complaints lodged with the FCT Administration or the Defence authorities.

Additional reporting by Peter Jene, Senior National Affairs Correspondent.