Journalist Alleges Threat Over Leaked Video Exposing Umahi’s Alleged Atrocities in Coastal Road Project

A media executive, Segun O’Law, has alleged that Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Nweze Umahi, threatened him over a leaked video said to expose alleged misconduct linked to the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Road project.

O’Law made the allegation during a press briefing on Thursday at the International Press Centre in Ogba, Lagos, where he claimed the minister sent him a WhatsApp message demanding a public apology over a video recording from a private meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja.

According to the journalist, the recording captured remarks by Umahi during an August 2025 meeting with protest representatives over the controversial realignment of the Lagos section of the coastal road, which affected several properties, including WinHomes Estate owned by Mrs. Stella Ukengu.

O’Law explained that he attended the meeting as a journalist alongside civil society representatives and a legal representative of the estate after protesters were invited to nominate delegates to meet the minister.

He said he had activated a discreet recording device during the protest and the meeting to preserve evidence should tensions escalate.

He alleged that after the meeting, parts of the recording were later circulated by the estate owner to support her claim that the minister had earlier indicated willingness to resolve the dispute before publicly denying making such commitments during a media tour of the project site in Okun Ajah, Lagos.

The media executive said he had not personally published the recording but decided to go public after receiving what he described as a threatening message from the minister, which referenced possible legal consequences if he failed to apologise.

Reacting to the development, lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi warned against the use of legal tools to intimidate journalists, noting that Nigeria’s data protection law provides specific exemptions for journalistic work carried out in the public interest.

Farotimi said journalists play a vital role in informing the public and holding government officials accountable, stressing that harassment of the press undermines democratic values.

O’Law also called on local and international media rights organisations to monitor his safety, stating that he had forwarded copies of his petition to the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the National Human Rights Commission and other press freedom groups.

As of press time, Umahi had not issued any official response to the allegations.