No evidence Nigerian president Tinubu snubbed minister Wike and supported soldiers guarding disputed Abuja land
IN SHORT: Africa Check has found no credible news reports or official statements to prove that Nigerian president Bola Tinubu has taken a side in the Abuja land dispute. Posts claiming otherwise should be ignored.
On 11 November 2025, Nigerian minister Nyesom Wike visited a plot of land in the capital, Abuja, to enforce a stop-work order, as the development on the land allegedly lacked valid documents.
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Wike is the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He was accompanied by officials from the Federal Capital Territory Administration on the visit.
At the site, soldiers who claimed they were on orders prevented the minister and his delegation from entering. Awwal Zubairu Gambo, former chief of the naval staff, reportedly owns the land.
A video of the verbal altercation between Wike and the soldiers went viral, showing the minister confronting an officer, demanding access, and accusing those involved of "illegal land grabbing".
In the video, Wike was arguing with a particular soldier, later identified as Lieutenant Ahmad Yerima.
In this context, some Facebook users claim that Nigerian president Bola Tinubu has come out in support of Yerima and the military in the dispute.
One post on 13 November reads: "BREAKING: President Tinubu Snubs The FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Backs Lieutenant A.M. Yerima And The Entire Military, Saying 'They Put Their Lives On The Line To Defend The Sovereignty Of This Country'."
The same claim was found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is the statement attributed to Tinubu genuine? We checked.
No evidence of statement
The altercation between Yerima, the soldiers' leader at the site, and Wike went viral on social media. If Tinubu had backed Yerima, it would have drawn the media's attention. But Africa Check found no reports of the president supporting Yerima or the military in the land dispute.
Another red flag is that the claim does not specify when or where the president supposedly made the statement. This lack of detail is a sign that the claim may be false.
Tinubu uses his social media accounts, including Facebook and X, to update the public on his engagements and often posts official statements. We searched these accounts and found nothing to support the circulating claim.
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There is no evidence that Tinubu has backed the military guarding the disputed land.
The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here and here.
