40 Years Later, Dele Giwa’s Death Raises Fresh Questions

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The International Press Centre, IPC, has renewed its call for justice, accountability and answers over the assassination of Dele Giwa, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine, as Nigeria marks 40 years since his death.

In a press statement released on Monday, the organisation’s Press Freedom Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, said its Safety and Protection of Journalists, SPJ, Hub was urging the Federal Government and relevant authorities to revisit the case and ensure accountability for the journalist’s killing.

Giwa was assassinated at his Lagos residence on Sunday, October 19, 1986, by a letter bomb.

He was 39 years old when he died.

According to the IPC, four decades have elapsed without anyone being held criminally responsible for the murder, leaving the case as a troubling reminder of the challenges surrounding justice, accountability and journalists’ safety in Nigeria.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, said Giwa’s killing was not merely a personal loss to his family, friends and colleagues in the media industry.

“It was an attack on the fundamental principle that journalists must be able to investigate, question authority and report in the public interest without fear of violence or intimidation,” Arogundade said.

He emphasised that the passage of time should not discourage efforts to uncover the circumstances surrounding the assassination, urging relevant authorities to renew their commitment to establishing the truth.

“Forty years without justice is far too long. Silence cannot substitute for accountability, and the passage of time must not become an excuse for abandoning the pursuit of truth,” he stated.

The IPC-SPJ Hub urged the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant investigative and prosecutorial agencies to reopen the case and conduct a credible, independent investigation into Giwa’s assassination.

It also called for investigators to examine available evidence, historical records and findings from previous investigations in the pursuit of justice.

Beyond Giwa’s case, the organisation appealed for renewed investigations into other unresolved killings of journalists in Nigeria.

Those mentioned included Bayo Ohu of The Guardian, who was murdered in September 2009; Nathan S. Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede of The Light Bearer, killed in April 2010; and Zakariya Isa of the Nigerian Television Authority, who was killed in October 2011.

Other cases listed by the organisation included the killings of, “Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television in January 2012; Maxwell Nashan of the Federal Radio Corporation in January 2020; Alex Ogbu of The Regent Africa Times Magazine in January 2020; Emmanuel Adeyemi of The Sun in October 2020; Titus Badejo of Naija FM in June 2021; and Tordue Salem of Vanguard in November 2021”.

The organisation further called for improved measures to protect journalists, stressing that press freedom remains crucial to transparency, democratic accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.

“As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dele Giwa’s death, we must resist the temptation to reduce him to an annual remembrance marked by speeches and tributes. His legacy demands action. A country cannot credibly celebrate press freedom while leaving one of its most notorious attacks on a journalist unresolved for four decades,” it said.

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