The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that he threatened Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television, stating that his controversial remark was purely figurative and not meant to be taken literally.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, April 7, Wike said his earlier comment had been misunderstood and taken out of context.
“You can imagine what happened at our press conference. People just capitalise on things. Even when I explained there that it’s not correct—I didn’t say I would kill him. What I meant was figurative. I was very angry. How can you descend so low? You are an interviewer—how do you move from interviewing your guest to making assertions? That’s not fair,” he said.
The controversy arose from remarks made during a media parley on Friday, April 3, where Wike reacted to Okinbaloye’s analysis on Politics Today.
In the heat of his response, the minister had said, “If there was any way to break the screen, I would have shot him,” a statement that sparked widespread backlash.
Clarifying his position, Wike insisted the comment was simply an expression of frustration, not a threat of physical harm.
Meanwhile, Okinbaloye, in a follow-up broadcast, maintained that he would not be intimidated, stressing that such rhetoric has no place in a democratic society.