A young Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yarima, who recently made headlines after a confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, reportedly escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday evening in Abuja.

According to Vanguard, the officer was pursued by men clad in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates. The suspicious vehicles allegedly trailed him from the NIPCO Filling Station along the Line Expressway to Gado Nasco Way.

The officer, according to sources, became aware of the surveillance and carried out a “strategic manoeuvre,” managing to shake off the suspected attackers around 6:30 p.m.

“The matter is already under investigation and is receiving the seriousness it deserves,” one of the sources said, explaining that further details are being withheld for security reasons and to avoid jeopardising the inquiry.

The incident comes barely a week after Lieutenant Yarima, while on lawful duty with other security personnel, was involved in a heated encounter with FCT Minister Wike at a disputed demolition site in the Gaduwa District of Abuja. The exchange, which was caught on video, sparked public outrage after the minister was seen verbally attacking the young officer.

The footage prompted the Presidency to suspend the demolition exercise pending further review, while retired military officers and advocacy groups condemned the minister’s outburst.

The Coalition of Retired Veterans, through its spokesperson, Abiodun Durowaiye-Herberts, described Wike’s language as “disrespectful and unbecoming of a public official,” warning that ex-service members would “occupy both the office and residence of the FCT Minister” if the Navy officer was sanctioned.

Durowaiye-Herberts said the military’s loyalty is to the Nigerian nation, not to individual politicians, and demanded that the minister issue a public apology. “How can a serving public officer call a naval officer a fool on camera?” he asked, describing the act as an affront to national institutions.

In response to the controversy, the Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar, assured that no military personnel performing their duty lawfully would face punishment.

“We will always protect our officers and armed forces personnel who are carrying out lawful assignments,” Badaru said during a briefing ahead of 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.”

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Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the immediate suspension and arrest of the Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, over allegations ranging from cross-border sex trafficking to unlawful detention and misuse of state security agencies.

Sowore made the demand in a video posted on his 𝕏 account on Sunday, insisting that the controversy extended far beyond the alleged illegal detention of Regina Daniels’ brother, Samuel Ojeogwu, popularly known as Sammy West.

He said, “The outcry surrounding Senator Ned Nwoko goes far beyond the unlawful detention of his now-estranged wife, Regina Daniels’ brother, Sammy West. What we are witnessing is part of a larger, troubling pattern involving the exploitation of underage girls across borders and the misuse of state power.”

Sowore alleged that Nwoko had a long-standing history of human rights abuses aided by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, whom he described as “now-disgraced” officers acting as the lawmaker’s “private enforcers.”

According to him, “This so-called billionaire was just throwing people in prison. When we got to prison, we found nine people who had been put in prison by the same Ned Nwoko from his village.”

Sowore further claimed that Nwoko once “hijacked” a woman’s father following a dispute, adding that several families had publicly accused the Senator of using the police to oppress them.

He warned, “Anybody who is a public figure, who is in political office, our duty, first and foremost, is to hold them to account, no matter how powerful they are.”

The activist also accused the Senator of being involved in “international sex trafficking crimes,” alleging that he brought underage girls from Morocco and other countries into Nigeria.

He clarified that his intervention was not about defending Regina Daniels but about confronting what he described as systematic abuse of political and police power.

Sowore said, “I’m not fighting for Regina Daniels. I’m fighting against the abuse of office by a Nigerian Senator who is colluding with the Nigerian police and has had a history of using the police to oppress people.”

He cited the arrest of TikToker Timothy Gabriel (Turmar), who was detained after making claims about Regina Daniels’ children.

He alleged, “The Senator procured the Nigerian police, got Turmar arrested and sent him to prison. When he came out, he had been battered so badly and was forced to apologize.”

He also recounted his own experience in 2021, when he met nine detainees allegedly jailed at Nwoko’s behest over a land dispute related to the Senator’s Sports University project.

Sowore criticised the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly enabling Nwoko’s actions.

He said, “Ned has got a huge amount of support from the Nigerian police. They go to his house to eat every day. Shame on the Nigerian police for selling the police force for free.”

The activist noted that his call for accountability stemmed from a broader struggle against impunity and human rights violations entrenched in Nigeria’s political and security institutions.

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The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), has dismissed claims circulating online that Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was freed after being “cleared” by the Court of Appeal.

Pedro, who spoke with journalists in Lagos on Sunday, described the reports — originally shared by actor Yomi Fabiyi and later reproduced by an online medium as “false, misleading and irresponsible.”

He said the claims amounted to a distortion of judicial records and were capable of misleading the public

Pedro clarified that, contrary to social media insinuations, the Court of Appeal did not exonerate Baba Ijesha of the sexual offences for which he was convicted in 2022.

He said, “Mr. Olanrewaju James was not cleared of the offences of sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child.”

The Attorney-General noted that the clarification followed Fabiyi’s assertion that the appellate court had declared the entire case a “charade.”

Pedro outlined the complete judicial trail of the case, July 14, 2022: The Lagos State High Court convicted Baba Ijesha for sexual assault and indecent treatment of a child over incidents that occurred in 2021. He received sentences of five years and three years, to run concurrently.

June 28, 2024: The Court of Appeal set aside convictions related to alleged offences from 2013–2014, but upheld the conviction and sentence for the 2021 sexual assault.

May 29, 2025: Baba Ijesha’s appeal to the Supreme Court was struck out for incompetence.

October 9, 2025: His motion for leave to file a fresh appeal was dismissed, leaving the Court of Appeal judgment intact.

Pedro emphasised that the actor’s release was solely due to completing his term of imprisonment, not from any acquittal.

He criticised Yomi Fabiyi and others spreading the misinformation, warning that such actions could cause unnecessary fear and public confusion.

He said the Office of the Attorney-General would not hesitate to prosecute the publication of false news intended to alarm the public, citing Section 39 of the Lagos Criminal Law.

He urged the public to disregard the misleading reports and emphasised the state’s unwavering commitment to child protection and proper enforcement of criminal convictions.

Pedro reiterated that Lagos would continue to safeguard minors and ensure that judicial outcomes are accurately represented.

He added that no individual or platform should trivialise offences against children by circulating unverified claims.

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