Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has clarified remarks made by the minister during a recent media chat, stating that they were figurative and not intended as a threat.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Olayinka explained that Wike’s comment directed at Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television was made in a hyperbolic context.

According to him, “the Minister never meant that he will shoot Seun Okinbaloye. They even spoke on phone today, and he (Okinbaloye) understood what the minister meant.”

Olayinka said the minister’s remark was an expression of displeasure at what he perceived as a shift in Okinbaloye’s role from that of an interviewer to an interested political participant during the televised session.

He emphasized that the statement was exaggerated for emphasis and carried no literal intent. He added that Wike had also clarified this during the live broadcast, noting that he did not mean he would “carry a gun and shoot the television anchor.”

Olayinka further pointed out that other journalists present during the interview, including Chamberlain Uzor, reacted with laughter after the clarification was made.

The aide cautioned against taking the remark out of context, describing such actions as attempts to misrepresent facts for political purposes.

He urged the public to disregard any interpretation of the comment as a threat, warning against its use as a tool for “blackmail and propaganda.”