RE: AMB. YUSUF MAMMAN’S UNFOUNDED ATTACK ON IBAN AND ITS LEADERSHIP OVER THE ASSOCIATION’S STATEMENT ON MINISTER NYESOM WIKE’S THREAT TO JOURNALIST SEUN OKINBALOYE OF CHANNELS TELEVISION

RE: AMB. YUSUF MAMMAN’S UNFOUNDED ATTACK ON IBAN AND ITS LEADERSHIP OVER THE ASSOCIATION’S STATEMENT ON MINISTER NYESOM WIKE’S THREAT TO JOURNALIST SEUN OKINBALOYE OF CHANNELS TELEVISION

The Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has noted with dismay the recent statement issued by Mr. Yusuf Mamman, in which he launched an unwarranted attack on both our Association and its Chairman, Alh. Tijjani Ramalan. Mr. Mamman’s comments came in response to IBAN’s principled position on the dangerous threat made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, against Mr. Seun Okinbaloye, a respected broadcast journalist with Channels Television.

For the avoidance of doubt, IBAN’s original statement was neither impulsive nor excessive. It was a measured and necessary reaction to a clear and present danger: a sitting minister declaring, in a live public forum, that he would have “shot” a journalist through a television screen. This remark was rightly condemned by every credible professional body in Nigeria—including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the International Press Institute (IPI), and Amnesty International—as well as civil society organisations such as SERAP. The consensus is unambiguous: such rhetoric incites fear, normalises violence against the press, and undermines constitutional democracy.

Against this backdrop, Mr. Mamman’s decision to attack IBAN and its leadership is not only misguided but dangerously counterproductive. His claim that IBAN overreacted is refuted by the unified stance of the entire media community. To single out IBAN for criticism while ignoring the collective voice of national and international press freedom bodies is either a wilful misrepresentation or a troubling lack of awareness.

IBAN wishes to state clearly the following:

1. Normalising threats against journalists is unacceptable. When a powerful political figure threatens lethal violence against a journalist—even in hypothetical terms—it creates a chilling climate for media practice. By dismissing IBAN’s response, Mr. Mamman effectively excuses such language. This is ethically indefensible.
2. The professional consensus is overwhelming. IBAN represents over Eighty percent of broadcasters in Nigeria. When NUJ, IPI, NGE, SERAP, and Amnesty International all speak with one voice, that voice reflects professional consensus, not partisanship. Mr. Mamman’s selective attack on IBAN ignores this broader industry position and serves only to distract from the real issue: a minister’s threat to press freedom.
3. Trivialising threats enables political intimidation. History teaches that when threats against journalists are dismissed as mere rhetoric, they escalate. Today a “figure of speech”; tomorrow, harassment, arrest, or worse. Mr. Mamman’s statement gives political actors a dangerous license to go further.

Furthermore, IBAN finds it deeply troubling that Mr. Mamman’s commentary reveals an apparent proximity to power that undermines any claim to neutrality. Defending a powerful minister against the entire journalistic community—in a country where independent media already struggle for survival—is tantamount to abandoning journalists to intimidation. At best, it reflects poor judgment; at worst, it signals complicity in efforts to silence constitutionally protected oversight.

Journalism is not a crime. Journalists are not the enemy. They are the safeguard of public accountability. When media stakeholders defend threats rather than condemn them, they weaken the entire profession.

IBAN, alongside the NUJ, NGE, IPI, SERAP, and numerous civic organisations, did exactly what was expected: we drew a clear line against intimidation. Mr. Mamman has chosen to stand on the wrong side of that line. We urge him to reconsider his position, acquaint himself with the fundamental principles of press freedom, and join the collective defence of journalists rather than undermine it.

Signed:

Alh. Dr Ahmed Ramalan 
Chairman, Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN)

Fidelis Duker 
Interim Secretary , Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN)

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