SERAP, Editors Call on Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Investigate Wike’s Alleged Threat

President Bola Tinubu has been urged by the Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project to look into claims that Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike threatened Channels Television host Seun Okinbaloye.

NGE President Eze Anaba, General Secretary Onuoha Ukeh, and Deputy Director of SERAP Kolawole Oluwadare issued a joint statement on Monday denouncing the statement and calling on the Federal Government to “promptly, thoroughly, transparently and efficiently examine the threat.”

Additionally, they urged the government to protect Okinbaloye and other journalists.

The statement stated that “the Tinubu government should immediately take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Mr. Okinbaloye and other journalists facing threats to their safety and security solely for peacefully exercising their human rights and carrying out their legitimate journalistic work.”

Wike responded to remarks made by the Politics Today presenter last Friday during a media conference in Abuja.

“I watched Politics Today yesterday (Thursday) and was completely taken aback. The minister declared, “Seun, I would have shot him if there was a way to break the screen.”

Referencing internal problems within the African Democratic Congress, Okinbaloye had voiced concerns about the 2027 elections, claiming that the political landscape seemed to be shifting toward control by a single party.

In response, the NGE and SERAP cautioned that pressure on press freedom in Nigeria is growing. The organizations emphasized that public servants ought to be receptive to criticism and examination.

“We are very worried that press freedom is in a “downward spiral,” with an increase in attacks, threats, intimidation, and harassment of journalists across.

Politicians and other public figures are scrutinized and criticized more frequently. The statement went on, “The threat against Mr. Okinbaloye demonstrates the growing threats to the safety and security of journalists and media freedom in the country.”

They went on to say that journalists are still entitled to freedom of expression under the constitution.

“As a fundamental human right, Okinbaloye is entitled to exercise his right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to seek out, obtain, and disseminate information of public interest. They stated that this privilege is neither diminished or taken away from him by his work as a journalist.

The organizations pointed out that although Wike had apparently corrected his remarks, they still shouldn’t have been made.

“The threat should never have been issued in the first place, even though Mr. Wike has attempted to clarify his words. The goal of individuals who threaten journalists is still the same: to deter public interest reporting by making it more dangerous for journalists. Press freedom and democratic accountability are compromised by such behavior. They said, “This has to end.”

Additionally, they condemned what they called a culture of impunity about attacks on journalists.

“Those who want to silence journalists have gained confidence due to the Nigerian government’s ongoing inability to protect press freedom and to properly look into and prosecute the increasing number of threats and attacks against journalists,” the organizations said.

Nigeria fell 10 spots to 122nd place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, according to data cited by Reporters Without Borders, and at least 56 journalists were reportedly attacked or detained while reporting protests in August 2024 alone.

They also cautioned against the growing trend of intimidating journalists with lawsuits.

“We are worried that politicians and security agencies are still suing journalists, usually for libel or criminal defamation—known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs),” they stated.

The organizations called on the federal government to order security services to look into the purported danger and prosecute those responsible.

In a similar vein, the Nigeria Union of Journalists has denounced Wike’s contentious statement as a danger to press freedom.

NUJ National President Alhassan Yahya said in a statement released on Monday that the union was “profoundly shocked and outraged” by the minister’s remark, saying, “If there’s any way to break the screen, I would have shot him.”

The remark “constitutes a direct and unacceptable attempt to intimidate and silence the press, thereby gravely undermining press freedom and the foundational principles of democracy in Nigeria,” according to Yahya, who called it “reckless and violent.”

The NUJ claimed that at first, it refrained from responding in the hopes that Wike would take back the remarks and provide an apology.

“The union held a sincere belief that Barrister Wike would, upon reflection, demonstrate immediate remorse and promptly withdraw his dangerous comment, which is why they purposefully delayed issuing this statement,” Yahya stated.

“However, the unfortunate lack of any such retraction or apology strongly suggests that the statement was a purposeful act intended to intimidate rather than a brief oversight.”

The union said that such remarks from a high-ranking government official might intimidate reporters and deter critical reporting.