Meet Lt. AM Yarima, the young and courageous naval officer who boldly stood his ground before FCT Minister Nyesom Wike while carrying out official orders from his superior, former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (Rtd). Despite the minister’s overbearing tone, intimidation, and heated exchanges, Lt. Yarima remained calm and resolute, defending what he believed was right.
On Tuesday, 11th November 2025, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, reportedly visited Gaduwa District, Abuja, after receiving reports that Plot 1946 — said to belong to retired Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo — was being developed despite being designated a buffer by the FCTA. He and his team, including FCTA officers led by Mukhah Galadima and the FCT Commissioner of Police Miller Dantawaye, clashed with about 12 armed navy officers led by Lt AM Yarima when the soldiers blocked access to the site. The disagreement quickly escalated into a scuffle between Wike’s security aides and the soldiers.
Wike insisted the development was illegal and demanded proof of title. The verbal confrontation that followed included the exchanges below (quoted exactly as given):
“You cannot tell me that. You cannot continue to act with impunity in this way and you can not continue to work illegally. You are not the one to say we have documents. It does not matter”.
”It matters. I am an officer. I take to order from a three-star General”.
“There is no order than me, you are taking an illegal order. You will never develop this plot. I will never allow it”.
“No problem, sir. I am only acting on my order”.
“If you want to kill everybody, kill everybody”.
“We will not kill anybody, sir”.
“You will put yourself in trouble”.
“You are going about to encroach somebody’s land, because you are an officer. Nobody does that”.
“We did not carry any body’s land”
The man took land and I will not allow that because he was Chief of Naval Staff….”
”Everything was acquired legally…”
“Will you stop that…!”
”I am an officer, I have integrity….”
“Shut up your mouth, who does that…”
“I wont shut up. You cant shut me up.”
“Will you keep quiet. Are you a big fool?”
“I am not a fool sir. I am acting on orders”
“Which orders?
“You can’t call me a fool. I am a commissioned officer.”
“Go and develop the land let me see you…”.
After the stand-off, security operatives from both sides intervened to de-escalate the situation. Wike maintained that the dispute should be resolved in his office and cautioned against the use of firearms for intimidation.
Hours later, 9News Nigeria identified the young military officer as Lt. AM Yarima, who serves with the Nigerian Armed Forces. According to his public profile, he studied at Victory Comprehensive College, Port Harcourt, and attended the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna. Yarima later took to his social media timeline to post the following statements:
My People, My Nation – My Pledge
I, your brother, your comrade, known as AM Yarima, rise today not simply as a soldier or a man in uniform, but as a living embodiment of the ideals our country cherishes. I rise for Nigeria — our land, our people, our future.
From the heart of this great nation, I declare my pledge to stand for discipline, courage, and service. I commit to integrity, loyalty, and love for this nation, because I know that true leadership begins with the self and is realised in the service of the many.
In doing so, I am not acting outside the law or outside the values that bind us as Nigerians. On the contrary, I ground my actions in our Constitution, which affirms what it is to be a citizen of Nigeria and what we owe to one another and to our country.
Under Section 23 of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, our Constitution declares: “The national ethics shall be Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-Reliance, and Patriotism.”
When I speak of patriotism, of integrity, of service, I am simply fulfilling that constitutional ideal.
Further, the Constitution makes clear that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, and that the people themselves derive sovereignty from one another.
In serving, in protecting, in dedicating myself to country — I am participating in that sovereign trust the people hold.
I also recognise the fundamental rights each of us holds: the right to life, to dignity, to freedom of expression and association, and to participate in the building of our nation.
My service is not at odds with your rights — it complements them, protects them, and uplifts them.
