In the midst of Nigeria's intensifying scrutiny over Federal Capital Territory (FCT) land allocations, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a robust denial against circulating social media rumors alleging he rewarded a naval officer with a luxury vehicle for challenging Minister Nyesom Wike.
The claim, which surfaced prominently on Facebook on November 12, 2025, suggested Atiku presented a brand-new Toyota Prado SUV to Lieutenant A.M. Ahmed Yerima as a gesture of solidarity following the officer's composed resistance during a heated on-site inspection in Abuja's Gaduwa District.
Atiku's swift rebuttal, delivered via a statement from his media adviser Paul Ibe on X (formerly Twitter) the following day, branded the narrative as "entirely fabricated" and urged Nigerians to dismiss it outright to curb the spread of disinformation in an already volatile political environment.
The viral falsehood portrayed Atiku, a prominent People's Democratic Party (PDP) figure and 2023 presidential contender, as covertly backing Yerima's actions against Wike, a key ally in President Bola Tinubu's All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
Ibe emphasized, "For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007), did not gift Lt. Ahmed Yerima or any other individual a brand new Toyota SUV, contrary to the false reports currently circulating on social media. The story is entirely fabricated and should be completely disregarded by the public."
This denial arrives against the backdrop of Atiku's longstanding critiques of Wike's aggressive anti-land-grabbing campaigns, which the former vice president has decried as selective enforcement favoring political insiders, potentially weaponized to silence opposition voices.
At the heart of the controversy lies Plot 1946 in the rapidly developing Gaduwa District, a prime southwestern Abuja enclave blending upscale residential zones with strategic institutional sites, where land values have skyrocketed amid urban expansion pressures on the FCT's 7,000-plus square kilometers.
The Tuesday, November 11, 2025, confrontation erupted when Wike, accompanied by Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) officials and security details, arrived for an unannounced enforcement raid targeting alleged encroachments on public-designated terrain.
The plot in question is reportedly tied to Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (retd.), Nigeria's immediate past Chief of Naval Staff from 2021 to 2023, who allegedly developed the site without requisite FCTA approvals or Right of Occupancy (C-of-O) documentation—a common flashpoint in Abuja's notorious land racketeering scandals that have seen over 800 titles revoked under Wike's 15-month tenure.
Video footage of the standoff, which has garnered tens of millions of views across platforms like X and TikTok, captures Wike's animated demands for access, met with Yerima's unflinching poise: "Sir, I am under orders from a superior officer, and I cannot allow passage without clearance." The 28-year-old Yerima, hailing from Kaduna State and described by naval sources as a dedicated junior officer with a clean service record, reiterated in a subsequent clarification that his duty was strictly to protect verified assets, not to engage in provocation.
Tensions peaked when Wike, in a moment of frustration, reportedly dared the lieutenant to "shoot if you dare," a challenge Yerima deflected with disciplined restraint, later stating, "We are trained professionals; we follow the chain of command, not personal vendettas."
Minor scuffles involving Wike's entourage and naval personnel were quickly diffused, but the exchange underscored deeper rifts in civil-military protocols.
The episode has reverberated through Nigeria's security apparatus, with Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar announcing an internal probe on November 12, affirming that "the Armed Forces will not abandon any officer performing lawful duties," while cautioning against breaches of civilian oversight.
Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle went further, labeling Wike's approach "unnecessary and avoidable," revealing that the Chief of Defence Staff had advised de-escalation prior to the visit, and praising Yerima's "exemplary discipline" as a model for inter-agency harmony.
Retired Army Chief Tukur Buratai echoed these sentiments, calling for "restraint to safeguard institutional respect" in a nod to Nigeria's post-junta democratic fragility.
Public discourse, amplified by trending hashtags like #YerimaStandsFirm and #WikeVsNavy on X, has polarized along partisan lines, with pro-Atiku factions hailing Yerima as a symbol of integrity against "executive bullying," while Wike supporters decry the incident as a ploy by vested interests to thwart anti-corruption drives.
Civil rights advocates, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), have petitioned for a Tribunals and Inquiries Act-mandated independent review to avert precedents that could erode civilian supremacy a concern rooted in Nigeria's history of military interventions.
As the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) weighs involvement in scrutinizing the Gaduwa allocations, this saga not only exposes Atiku-Wike animosities stemming from their 2022 PDP schism but also spotlights systemic vulnerabilities in Abuja's land governance, where elite captures have long stymied equitable urban growth for the FCT's 3.5 million inhabitants.