Reopen Investigations into Assassination of Dele Giwa- IPC Demands
Oru Leonard
The International Press Centre (IPC) has called on the Federal Government and relevant law enforcement agencies to reopen investigations into the assassination of veteran journalist Dele Giwa, demanding accountability for his killing 40 years after the incident.
The Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub of the IPC made the call in a statement issued on Monday, October 19, 2026, to mark the 40th anniversary of Giwa’s death.
Giwa, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on October 19, 1986, at his residence in Lagos by a parcel bomb. He was 39 years old.
Despite the passage of four decades, the circumstances surrounding his assassination remain unresolved, with no one held criminally accountable for his death.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, described the journalist’s killing as an attack not only on his family, colleagues and friends but also on press freedom and the fundamental right of journalists to report in the public interest without fear of violence or intimidation.
“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,” Arogundade said.
He noted that the failure to resolve the case raised serious questions about Nigeria’s commitment to justice, human rights and the protection of journalists.
According to him, the continued lack of accountability could undermine public confidence in institutions responsible for upholding the law.
Giwa was also a former Sunday Editor of National Concord. Through his investigative reporting and editorial leadership at Newswatch, he contributed to the development of Nigerian journalism and the promotion of the public’s right to know.
The IPC-SPJ Hub called on the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant investigative and prosecutorial authorities to reopen and pursue a credible, independent investigation into Giwa’s assassination.
It also urged the authorities to investigate other unresolved cases involving journalists who were murdered in the course of their work.
The cases listed by the organisation include the killing of Bayo Ohu of The Guardian on September 20, 2009; Nathan S. Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede of The Light Bearer on April 24, 2010; and Zakariya Isa of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) on October 22, 2011.
Others are Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television, killed on January 20, 2012; Maxwell Nashan of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, killed on January 15, 2020; and Alex Ogbu of The Regent Africa Time Magazine, who died on January 21, 2020.
The organisation also cited the killings of Emmanuel Adeyemi of The Sun newspaper on October 26, 2020; Titus Badejo of Naija FM on June 19, 2021; and Tordue Salem of Vanguard newspaper on November 11, 2021.
Beyond the demand for investigations, the IPC urged the government to honour Giwa’s legacy by strengthening mechanisms for the safety and protection of journalists.
It stressed that press freedom remained essential to transparency, democratic accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.
The organisation warned against reducing the anniversary of Giwa’s assassination to speeches and tributes without concrete action to address the circumstances surrounding his death.
“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,” the statement said.
It added that journalists deserved the assurance that the profession they serve would be protected by the rule of law.
“A country cannot credibly celebrate press freedom while leaving one of its most notorious attacks on a journalist unresolved for four decades,” the organisation stated.
