The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, nay be getting involved in fresh scandal of intimidation.

The minister is being drawn into fresh controversy by a media executive, Segun O’Law, who alleged that the 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 at a press briefing at the International Press Centre, Lagos. He claimed that 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, Abuja.

According to Segun O’Law, the recording captured remarks by Umahi during an August 2025 meeting with protesting representatives over the controversial realignment of the Lagos section of the coastal road, which affected several properties. He alleged that after the meeting, parts of the recording were later circulated by the estate owner.

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.

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.