By Odigiri Mackson
A cross-section of residents in Minna, the Niger State capital, expressed shock and mixed reactions on Monday morning following news reports of an attempted assassination on a young Naval officer, Lieutenant Yahaya Ahmed Yerima, by yet-to-be-identified assailants.
The incident comes less than a week after the officer was reportedly involved in a public dispute over a land matter with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, in Abuja.
Speaking with our correspondent, several residents from areas including Mobil, Keteren Gwari, Gbegnu, and Kpakungu in Chanchaga LGA, who chose to remain anonymous, offered their reaction to the failed attack.
Many residents directly linked the attempted attack to the recent public confrontation with the FCT Minister.
They strongly advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to order regarding his recent conduct, particularly the “embarrassment meted on the young serving Nigerian Naval officer over a land dispute.”
The residents also challenged the FCT Administration, under Wike’s leadership, to publicly guarantee that Lt. Yerima can go about freely with his life and duties without any harm or threat.
They unanimously urged President Tinubu to ensure nothing happens to Lt. Yerima’s life. According to them, if the assassination plot had succeeded, it would pose a significant national security threat and undermine the Federal Government’s integrity in its quest to fight crime and all forms of criminality across the country.
The residents called on security agencies in the FCT, Abuja, to immediately improve their surveillance and ensure that those behind the attempted assassination are nipped in the bud, no matter who is involved.
They further admonished the FCT Minister to perform his duties with a human face and the fear of God, insisting that any threat to life would not be condoned by Nigerians.
They pointed out that such incidents are detrimental, especially as the nation grapples with pervasive insecurity, which they noted is not speaking well of the present administration.
The attempt on Lt. Yerima’s life was described as “suspicious and uncalled for,” and the residents condemned the act as ungodly.
They urged the military high command not to dismiss this act as a mere joke given that it involves the life of one of their colleagues, and called on them to go all out and arrest whoever is behind it and bring the perpetrator to public justice.
