Nigeria’s leading media and civil society organisations have called for an immediate investigation into remarks by the Federal Capital Territory minister, Nyesom Wike, after he appeared to threaten a television journalist during a live media exchange.
The intervention by the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Nigeria Union of Journalists and Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project follows comments made by Wike in Abuja, where he said of Seun Okinbaloye: “If there was any way to break the screen, I would have shot him,” after the anchor suggested that the 2027 election was beginning to resemble a one-party contest.
The minister was responding to questions referencing internal tensions within the African Democratic Congress.
In a joint statement signed by NGE president Eze Anaba, general secretary Onuoha Ukeh and SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the groups warned that Nigeria’s civic space was shrinking under mounting pressure.
“We are seriously concerned that press freedom is in a ‘downward spiral,’ with increasing intimidation, harassment, threats, and attacks against journalists,” the statement said, adding that public officials must accept heightened scrutiny in a democratic society.
The organisations stressed that Okinbaloye, like any citizen, retains the right to freedom of expression, including the right to question those in power. “The threat against Mr Okinbaloye illustrates the escalating risks to journalists’ safety and media freedom in the country,” they said.
Although Wike later sought to clarify his comments, the groups insisted the damage had already been done. “The threat should never have been made in the first place,” they said, warning that such rhetoric risks chilling public-interest journalism and weakening democratic accountability.
They accused Nigerian authorities of failing to investigate and prosecute attacks on journalists, arguing that impunity had emboldened those seeking to silence critical voices. “This reflects a wider disregard for the rule of law,” the statement added.
Citing broader patterns, the groups pointed to reports of assaults and arrests of journalists covering protests, and noted Nigeria’s fall in the global press freedom rankings compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
They also raised alarm over the growing use of legal intimidation, including defamation suits designed less to succeed in court than to drain journalists’ resources and morale — a tactic widely known as strategic lawsuits against public participation.
The groups urged President Bola Tinubu to direct law enforcement agencies to investigate threats against journalists and ensure accountability, while also publicly reaffirming his administration’s commitment to media freedom. They further called on the attorney general, Lateef Fagbemi, to coordinate a comprehensive review of attacks on journalists since May 2023.
Separately, the NUJ said it was “profoundly shocked and outraged” by the minister’s remarks. Its president, Alhassan Yahya, described the statement as “reckless and violent”, warning it could foster a climate of fear and discourage critical reporting.
“The absence of any retraction or apology suggests this was not a momentary lapse but a deliberate attempt to intimidate,” Yahya said, calling for an immediate and unreserved apology.
In a parallel development, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria petitioned the United States government via its Abuja embassy, urging targeted sanctions against Wike over what it described as a pattern of actions undermining democratic norms.
In its submission, signed by national coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group alleged electoral misconduct, political interference and erosion of judicial independence during Wike’s tenure as Rivers state governor between 2015 and 2023, as well as continued influence over political developments involving the current governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
HURIWA warned that Nigeria’s democracy, though resilient since 1999, faces increasing strain from shrinking political space, coercive alignments and hostility to dissent — trends it said could have wider implications for regional stability if left unchecked.
