The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed shock and outrage over a violent remark allegedly made by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, against Channels Television‘s Seun Okinbaloye.
The union, in a statement by its National President, Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi on Saturday, described the Minister’s statement — “If there’s any way to break the screen, I would have shot him” — as reckless and dangerous, warning that it amounts to an attempt to intimidate and silence the media, and a direct assault on press freedom and democratic principles in Nigeria.
According to the NUJ, it initially withheld its reaction in the expectation that Wike would show remorse and retract the comment. However, the continued silence from the Minister, the union said, suggests the remark was not a slip but a deliberate act intended to intimidate journalists.
The NUJ stressed that such rhetoric from a high-ranking public official creates a climate of fear for media professionals and sends a troubling signal that critical journalism could attract threats or hostility.
The union therefore demanded an immediate and unreserved apology from the Minister, urging the Federal Government to unequivocally condemn the statement and take firm steps to protect journalists and uphold media independence.
It also called on media organisations, civil society groups, and pro-democracy advocates to unite in defending press freedom, emphasising that the safety of journalists remains essential to the survival of democracy.
