Nigerian Navy officer Lt. A.M. Yarima, who recently had a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday evening.
According to military sources, Yarima was pursued by unidentified guys clothed in black and driving two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates.
The vehicles allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station near the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.
According to the source, the soldier took note pf the threat and performed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully eluding the accused perpetrators. The event apparently took place at 6:30 p.m.
The source further stated that the problem is being investigated and is being treated with “the seriousness it deserves,” but that additional information is being suppressed in order to protect the process.
The occurrence came just days after Lt. Yarima and other security officers engaged in a tense encounter with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over a disputed land site in Gaduwa District.
The fight, which was captured on camera, provoked extensive public controversy and forced the presidency to intervene, halting the destruction at the site.
Following the event, military veterans across the country condemned Wike for publicly insulting the officer and rejected requests for disciplinary action against Yarima.
Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, a spokesman for the Coalition of Retired Veterans, said that ex-service members would “occupy the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the officer was punished.
He emphasized that military soldiers owe allegiance to Nigeria, not individual public leaders, and demanded that Wike apologize for his comments.
“How can a public office holder call an officer ‘a fool’ on camera?” he said, adding that such behavior undermines national institutions and lowers the dignity of public service.
Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohammad Badaru Abubakar has stated that no military troops who acted legitimately will face disciplinary action as a result of the altercation.
“We will always protect officers and our armed forces personnel on lawful duty,” Badaru said during a ministerial briefing for the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations at the National Defence College.
“Any officer on lawful duty will be protected if he is doing his job lawfully and doing it well.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
