A recent comment by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, regarding Channels Television’s journalist Seun Okinbaloye, has sparked a significant political controversy.
Drawing sharp condemnation from the former Vice President Abubakar Atiku Media Office while Wike’s aide insists the statement was merely figurative.
The contentious remark, made during a Channels Television Media Chat, saw Minister Wike stating he would shoot Okinbaloye.
This statement has been met with fierce criticism, particularly from the former Vice President media Office, which labeled it a “disgraceful and dangerous threat” .
However, Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to FCT Minister, has moved to clarify the comment, asserting that the Minister “never meant that he will shoot Seun Okinbaloye”.
The aide explained further that Wike’s statement was made in a “hyperbolic context,” intended as an exaggeration to emphasize a point, and that the Minister and Okinbaloye had since spoken, with the journalist understanding the intended meaning.
According to Olayinka, Wike’s frustration stemmed from perceiving Okinbaloye, whom he holds in high esteem, as “descending into the political arena by speaking as an interested party, instead of an interviewer”.
The aide further highlighted that Wike had clarified his intentions during the live broadcast, even stating he would not carry a gun to shoot the anchor, and that other journalists present had laughed off the comment.
He urged the public to disregard any attempts to misrepresent the statement for political gain, labeling such actions as a “clear hatchet job”.
Conversely, the former Vice President has vehemently condemned Wike’s remarks, describing them as a “chilling signal of how far this government has descended into intolerance, lawlessness, and naked abuse of power”.
Atiku dismissed notion of the comment being a joke or banter, unequivocally stating it was a “threat—clear, direct, and
deeply sinister”.
He argued that Wike’s outburst is indicative of a broader, troubling pattern within the current administration, where “dissent is criminalised, criticism is met
with hostility, and intimidation has become the default language of governance”. Atiku questioned the safety of ordinary Nigerians if a prominent journalist could be threatened so brazenly on national television for daring to warn against the dangers of a one-party state.
In response to what was view as unacceptable conduct, Atiku has
demanded: immediate and unconditional public apology from the FCT Minister to Seun Okinbaloye and the Nigerian media community; clear and public repudiation of this rhetoric by Tinubu administration; and concrete assurances for the safety and protection of journalists across Nigeria.
In his conclusion, the former Vice President asserted that “Nigeria will
not be bullied into silence. The press will not be cowed, and truth will not be silenced by.threats”.
