THE LIEUTENANT, THE MINISTER AND THE TERRORISTS
By Ofonime Honesty
It was a scene straight out of Hollywood! A young lieutenant, A. M. Yerima, standing like a rock. Facing him: Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the powerful Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his aides, security details, and media crew.
Camera phones everywhere. The air was thick with tension. Bullets nearly started flying.
The Lieutenant didn’t blink. He didn’t shout. He stood his ground. Calm but firm! So firm! His eyes said what his mouth couldn’t: “My uniform doesn’t tremble at the sight of politicians.”
Video clips went viral and Nigeria went wild! One section clapped for Wike, while others clapped for Yerima. Yerima’s supporters began asking: “Who is this brave soldier?” “Give him a medal!” “This is the kind of courage we need!”
The streets are talking, social media is buzzing. Lieutenant Yerima has become a hero in many eyes.
But wait! Since when did doing a basic duty become breaking news? The truth is this: we are celebrating because we are hungry for heroes. We are addicted to seeing people worship politicians. We are addicted to saying “Yes Sir, yes Sir” even when the Sir is wrong! We are starved of men of conscience and uprightness.
But here is the bitter truth we must swallow! If we can deploy soldiers to protect a property for a so-called “big man,” why can’t we station soldiers to protect villages full of “ordinary Nigerians”? Since when did the blood and safety of Nigerians have different prices—some expensive, some cheap?
Look at what bandits and kidnappers have turned our country into! The North has become their slaughterhouse! The Southwest their playground! The Southeast their fortress! Even the South-South is not spared. Edo State, for instance, is now a hotbed for criminality.
These criminals now have the audacity to flaunt ransom proceeds on TikTok and Instagram! They parade their victims like trophies! They impose taxes on communities as if they are the government! And the shameful part? Even our elected leaders bow before them! They negotiate with terrorists while citizens live in perpetual fear!
If our soldiers can stand like rocks before powerful ministers in Abuja, they must be encouraged and empowered not to appear like weaklings before terrorists.
If a lieutenant can defend one landed property in Gaduwa like a lion, we must see that same lion-like fury in real red zones. Why do communities wait for weeks for military help that arrives only when it’s too late?
We need that Yerima attitude everywhere! We need it in every forest where bandits are celebrating! We need it in every village where terrorists are collecting taxes! We need that same energy to crush the butchers of our people!
Imagine if we had Yerimas in every trouble spot in Nigeria! Bandits would vanish! Terrorists would tremble! Because they would see that our soldiers don’t retreat. They don’t negotiate. They CONQUER!
I’m not taking sides in the Wike-Yerima fracas. But as you celebrate Lieutenant Yerima, also demand for more Yerimas! More standing firm! Not just before ministers, but before monsters with guns! Not just in the comfort of cities, but in the terror-filled forests and communities.
That is how we will reclaim our country. That is how we will make Nigeria safe again. One Yerima at a time! One standing-firm soldier at a time! One liberated community at a time!
Until every Nigerian can sleep with both eyes closed. Until every community can breathe without fear. Until the uniform becomes what it was meant to be: a SHIELD! Not a decoration. Not intimidation. But an iron shield for every Nigerian life!
This is the courage we desperately need, not just in Abuja, but in the very heart of our nation’s crisis. These criminals are supposed to be brought to justice or outrightly eliminated in the theatre of operations.
May courage spread like wildfire across our land until every citizen feels its power and protection. I beg to pause.
Happy weekend, mortals!
