Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has refuted claims that he gifted a brand-new Toyota SUV to Lieutenant Ahmed Yerima, the naval officer recently involved in an altercation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement released via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, dismissed the report which has been widely circulated on social media describing it as false and baseless.
“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007), did not gift Lt. Ahmed Yerima or any other person a brand-new Toyota SUV, contrary to the misleading reports currently trending online.
The story is entirely fabricated and should be disregarded by the public,” Ibe stated.
The false claim first surfaced on Facebook on Wednesday, alleging that Atiku rewarded the naval officer following his confrontation with Wike during an inspection of a disputed plot of land in the Gaduwa District of Abuja.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, when Minister Wike confronted Lt. Yerima, who insisted he was safeguarding property belonging to the Nigerian Navy.
A video of the heated exchange quickly went viral, prompting widespread reactions from Nigerians and public figures, including former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), who called for restraint and respect for institutional authority.
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