Wike’s Aide Dismisses Minister’s ‘Shoot’ Remark Against Journalist as Hyperbole

The office of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has moved to calm the controversy surrounding his threat to “shoot” Channels Television anchor Seun Okinbaloye, describing the comment as hyperbolic and not intended as a physical threat.

Lere Olayinka, Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, issued a statement on Saturday clarifying that the minister never meant any harm against the journalist. He added that the two men have since spoken by phone, and Okinbaloye understood the context of the remark.

According to Olayinka, the comment was directed at Okinbaloye’s on-air conduct, not at him personally. He explained that Wike was angered by the anchor’s remarks during Thursday’s edition of Politics Today, where Okinbaloye expressed concern about Nigeria drifting towards a one-party state while discussing a political crisis. Wike felt the anchor had overstepped by taking a personal position instead of maintaining journalistic detachment.

Olayinka noted that Wike had already clarified his statement during the live programme, with Channels Television’s Abuja bureau head, Chamberlain Uzor, among those present. He said the journalists in attendance laughed at the clarification rather than treating it as a threat.

The aide urged the public to disregard attempts to weaponise the comment for political ends, describing any such effort as a “clear hatchet job.”

Wike had drawn widespread condemnation on Friday after saying at a media parley in Abuja that he was so angered by Okinbaloye’s remarks that he would have “shot” him through the television screen. The minister later added, “I am not saying I will kill him. I am just angered that he made that kind of statement on a national television.”

The original remarks sparked backlash on social media, with rights activists and public commentators condemning the statement as a threat to press freedom.