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.

In a joint statement on Monday, NGE President Eze Anaba, General Secretary Onuoha Ukeh, and SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare denounced the statement and called on the Federal Government to “promptly, thoroughly, transparently and effectively investigate the threat.”

Additionally, they demanded that the government protect Okinbaloye and other journalists.

The statement stated, “The Tinubu government should immediately take all necessary steps 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.”

Last Friday, Wike responded to remarks made by the host of Politics Today during a media conference in Abuja.

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

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

The NGE and SERAP responded by warning that pressure on journalistic freedom in Nigeria is growing. The organizations emphasized the need for public servants to be receptive to criticism and examination.

With growing threats, intimidation, harassment, and attacks against journalists and media freedom nationwide, we are gravely concerned that press freedom is in a “downward spiral.”

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

Additionally, they maintained 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, receive, and disseminate information of public interest. They stated that this privilege is not diminished or taken away from him because of his work as a journalist.

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

“The threat should never have been uttered in the first place, notwithstanding Mr. Wike’s efforts to clarify his words. The goal of people who threaten journalists is still the same: to reduce public interest reporting by making it more dangerous for journalists. Press freedom and democratic accountability are threatened by such behavior. “This has to end,” they declared.

Additionally, they denounced what they called a culture of impunity around 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 groups said.

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

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

“We are concerned that politicians and security agencies continue to target journalists with lawsuits, usually for criminal defamation or libel… 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 same vein, the Nigeria Union of Journalists has voiced indignation over Wike’s contentious statement, seeing it as a danger to press freedom.

The union was “profoundly shocked and outraged” by the minister’s remark, according to a statement released on Monday by NUJ National President Alhassan Yahya: “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 also 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 issue an apology.

“The union held a sincere belief that Barrister Wike would, upon reflection, demonstrate immediate remorse and promptly withdraw his dangerous comment, so 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 momentary lapse.”

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

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The country’s current interception and surveillance laws have been warned by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to be carefully scrutinized by lawmakers to prevent its use against citizens and government critics.

SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare expressed the worry in an appearance on Arise Television on Monday, urging more openness and public involvement in the creation of such rules.

According to reports, Oluwadare’s remarks came after former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai made accusations that he and another person had eavesdropped on a call involving National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu.

The breadth and supervision of the monitoring capabilities granted to security agencies have since been the subject of increased discussion in response to the former governor’s assertions.

“Public Hearings Should Be Held for Regulations”
In response to the dispute, Oluwadare emphasized that laws with such broad ramifications need to go through a rigorous legislative procedure that includes public hearings.

Given the weight and authority that this type of regulation possesses, it ought to undergo both a public hearing and the legislative process. Major rights of Nigerians will be taken away by these restrictions,” he stated.

Because of the ambiguous language, lack of protections for civil liberties, and possibility for misuse, he contended that the current framework for interception might not be required in its current form.

Concerns regarding the use of interception powers by security agencies were voiced by the deputy director of SERAP.

He expressed fears that these powers could be used against citizens or government critics because it is unclear how organizations like the DSS or the Office of the National Security Adviser use them.

To guarantee that they balance civil freedoms and national security, he said, laws of this kind, particularly those that have the potential to affect basic human rights, must be closely examined by lawmakers.

According to Oluwadare, his stance is in favor of an interception framework that conforms to global best practices rather than completely rejecting one.

“This position is not against an interception framework in general, but rather that it should be in line with other jurisdictions’ models and include strong protections as intended by current legal frameworks,” he clarified.

Public involvement would improve the efficacy of such legislation in tackling insecurity without jeopardizing democratic freedoms, Oluwadare continued. It would also increase accountability.

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