FCT Police debunk alleged assassination attempt on Naval officer involved in Wike clash

By Johnson Arua

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed reports claiming that Lt. Ahmed Yerima, the naval officer who recently clashed with the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, survived an assassination attempt in Abuja.

Several online platforms on Sunday alleged that Yerima was trailed by unidentified men clad in black and travelling in two unmarked Hilux vans. The chase was said to have begun around 6:30pm at the NIPCO filling station along the Kubwa Expressway and continued to Gado-NASCO Way, with reports suggesting the officer escaped through a “strategic manoeuvre” during a high-speed pursuit.

The accounts further claimed that Yerima, who was driving a vehicle with tinted windows, was stopped by police officers in the Kubwa area for identification before being allowed to proceed.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday, FCT Police spokesperson Josephine Adeh described the assassination attempt narrative as “false” and “unverified.”

“The attention of the FCT Police Command has been drawn to publications circulating on social media alleging an attempted assassination on Lt. Ahmed Yerima. The Command wishes to categorically state that no such incident has been reported or recorded anywhere within the Federal Capital Territory.

“The public is advised to disregard this false information and desist from spreading unverified claims capable of causing unnecessary panic,” the statement read.

Yerima has been in the spotlight since November 11 following a heated confrontation between Wike and a team of soldiers over a disputed parcel of land in Abuja. The face-off, which went viral, has since dominated social media conversations and inspired numerous online skits.