Bizarre Coincidence as Investigator Traces Links Between Lt Yerima & Wike: "P'Harcourt"

• New information disproved claims linking Lt. A. M. Yerima to retired Major General M. M. Yerima
• Senior military sources confirmed the two men were not related despite widespread online assumptions
• Fresh details revealed the officer was born in Port Harcourt to a businessman, not a military family

Fresh details have cast new light on the background of Lieutenant A. M. Yerima after widespread social media claims linked him to retired Major General M. M. Yerima.

The assumption gained traction because both men share a surname and come from Yobe State, which made the claim appear credible to many online users and automated platforms.

Professor Farooq Kperogi, a US-based popular columnist, said new information from people familiar with the officer, as well as senior military sources, has now corrected that narrative.

Fresh accounts dispute earlier claims

Kperogi explained that a contact who knows the lieutenant reached out with convincing evidence that the young officer is not from a privileged military family.

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This challenged repeated claims, including those circulated by Google’s Gemini, that wrongly framed him as the retired general’s son.

To verify the information, Kperogi said he sought clarity from a retired general who knows Major General M. M. Yerima well.

The senior officer confirmed that the two men are not related. Another clarification came from a source close to the Yobe State governor, who confirmed their origins from different local governments.

The retired general is from Bade Local Government Area, the same place as former Senate President Ahmed Lawan. Lieutenant Yerima is from Gujba Local Government Area, which is also the home community of Governor Mai Mala Buni.

According to Kperogi, the officer was born in Port Harcourt to a businessman. That detail also provides context to Minister Nyesom Wike’s recent comment that the lieutenant was in primary school when he “finished school.”

Both men were living in the same city at the time. Wike graduated from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology in 1997 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. Yerima, then five years old, was likely attending primary school in Port Harcourt. The period when his family later moved to Kaduna remains unclear.

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Kperogi said the situation offers a lesson about the reliability of online information. He noted that false claims spread easily when people rely on surface-level similarities such as shared surnames.

He added that AI systems often recycle whatever information dominates online discussion, even when it is inaccurate.

Wike clashes with naval officer

Legit.ng had previously reported that the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike launched at the calm and composed naval officer over a land issue.

Wike challenged the military’s claim to the property and questioned why public land should be occupied under personal or official cover.

The confrontation intensified when the officer, dressed in camouflage, interrupted the minister, insisting that the land was lawfully acquired and that his actions were legitimate.

The exchange grew tense as Wike ordered the officer to remain silent, drawing the attention of onlookers and triggering a wave of public discussion.

Vanguard also noted the development, with the FCT minister remarking:

“Because you are an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was the Chief of Naval Staff?”

The officer defended himself, maintaining that he had acted on his orders and that the land was legitimately acquired.

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“I am an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally."

As the drama unfolded, Wike responded:

“You send soldiers to intimidate who? We are all from this country. If not for the CDS who spoke to me now, you would have to kill everybody here. I’m not one of those that you can intimidate."

Tinubu urged to sack Wike

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Atiku Movement (TAM) vehemently condemned what it called the outrageous and delusional statements of Wike.

TAM blasted the FCT Minister, stating that he had claimed credit for roads and water projects as if they were 'funded by his personal piggy bank'.

Source: Legit.ng