The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike for threatening journalist Seun Okinbaloye during a live broadcast. Wike, responding to a comment by Okinbaloye on the dangers of a one-party system to Nigerian democracy, said, "If there was any way to break the screen (of the television), I would have shot him." The remark, reported by DAILY POST, sparked immediate backlash. ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi condemned the statement in a post on Saturday, calling it "irresponsible and unacceptable." He accused the Tinubu administration of escalating attacks on dissent, first by weakening opposition parties and now targeting journalists. The ADC described the comment as a direct assault on freedom of speech and urged all supporters of press freedom to speak out.
Wike's threat to "shoot" a journalist wasn't a joke—it was a window into how power views dissent. When a federal minister reacts with violence-laced rhetoric to a routine news comment, it signals a shrinking space for free expression. This is not just about Seun Okinbaloye or Channels Television; it normalizes intimidation at the highest levels. If unchecked, such rhetoric risks making self-censorship the default for Nigerian journalists.
