The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has made a startling revelation about his time as governor of Rivers State. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Wike claimed that a top army officer once ordered that he be shot while still in office.
According to him, the directive came from General Jamil Sarham, who was then the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigerian Army. Wike alleged that Sarham told a colonel to open fire on him during a political standoff in 2019. The colonel, however, refused to obey the order and was allegedly detained for six months as punishment.
The FCT minister accused Sarham of being deeply involved in oil theft and of attempting to eliminate him on February 15, 2019, during the heat of the elections. He further claimed that Sarham ran operations that compromised the security of Rivers State at the time.
But General Sarham fired back with a strong denial. He said Wike’s accusations were born out of frustration because he refused to accept the “billions of naira” Wike allegedly offered him to influence the governorship election. According to Sarham, his choice of professionalism over compromise was the true cause of Wike’s hostility towards him.
The Army, in a statement, also dismissed Wike’s claims as baseless and mischievous. It challenged him to provide evidence that Sarham ever attended State Security Council meetings or was involved in oil bunkering. The Army maintained that Wike only met Sarham once, during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day parade in 2019, and urged him to pursue his allegations through proper legal channels if he had proof.
