BY: Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
Nuhu Sada, candidate of SDP candidate for the Kaduna State House of Assembly bye election made series of claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) stating that U.S President Donald Trump has hailed Lt. A. M. Yerima for his courage and integrity, describing him as a more patriotic Nigerian thanNyesom Wike.
Full Text:
Nuhu Sada, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate for the Kaduna State House of Assembly bye-election, made a series of claims in a post on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that U.S. President Donald Trump praised Lt. A. M. Yerima for his courage and integrity, describing him as “a more patriotic Nigerian than Wike.”
Screenshot of the claim
The aspiring lawmaker added that Trump made this known in a statement released yesterday at the White House, naming Lt. A. M. Yerima “to lead the frontline operations against IPOB in the East, as well as Boko Haram and ISWAP. In Nigeria.”
The claim surfaced amid a wave of social media reactions that began on Tuesday, following a viral video showing a tense standoff between the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and a commanding officer identified as Lieutenant Yerima over a disputed parcel of land in Abuja’s Gaduwa District A similar claim was also spotted on Facebook here.
Screenshot of the claim on Facebook
Reports indicate that the incident occurred when officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) arrived at Plot 1946 in Gaduwa to enforce a demolition order on what authorities described as an illegal structure. The operation, however, was met with stiff resistance from uniformed personnel allegedly acting on the instructions of retired Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2021.
According to The Guardian, tensions escalated when FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, accompanied by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, and other senior officials, arrived at the scene but was initially denied access by the armed personnel.
Wike condemned the incident, describing it as a blatant case of land grabbing and vowing that the administration would not yield to intimidation, regardless of the individuals involved.
“Despite the military intimidation, I will not succumb or allow this land grabbing. It’s an illegality that must not stand,” he declared.
In response, the commanding naval officer defended his actions, stating that his team was operating under superior instructions and had already submitted all relevant documents on the disputed land to the appropriate authorities for verification.
“This is not an illegal development,” he maintained. “I have forwarded all the documents to the officials in charge.”
Given the growing controversy surrounding the incident and its potential to heighten political tensions, especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s recent threat of possible U.S. military action in Nigeria following his comments on the alleged “mass slaughter” of Christians, this fact-check seeks to provide clarity and set the record straight.
Verdict: False.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica conducted a thorough review of Donald Trump’s official social media accounts as well as verified White House communication channels but found no record of such a statement. Further checks across reputable news platforms in both Nigeria and the United States also yielded no evidence to support the claim.
Conclusion:
According to our findings, no evidence show that Trump made the statement that was attributed to him by the claimant.
