.Demands investigation, prosecution of culprits
Paul Adunwoke
Forty years after the assassination of Dele Giwa, founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Federal Government to comply with and fully implement a court order directing it to investigate the circumstances surrounding his killing and prosecute those responsible.
In a statement issued in Lagos to mark the 40th anniversary of Giwa’s assassination on October 19, 1986, MRA described the government’s failure to resolve the case four decades later as a “shameful reminder of the entrenched culture of impunity for attacks against journalists in Nigeria.”
Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb delivered to his residence in Ikeja, Lagos.
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, said the anniversary should not merely be an occasion to remember an accomplished journalist and celebrate his contributions to Nigerian journalism, but should also serve as an opportunity for renewed public scrutiny of the failure to deliver justice.
Longe spoke at a book launch held in Ikeja, Lagos, in honour of Giwa, titled Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism.
He said: “Forty years is far too long for the assassination of a journalist of Dele Giwa’s stature to remain unresolved. His killing must not be reduced to a recurring anniversary in Nigeria’s media calendar, accompanied by tributes and expressions of outrage but without meaningful progress towards accountability.”
Longe recalled that on February 16, 2024, MRA secured a judgment at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit it instituted against the Attorney-General of the Federation.
According to him, the court ordered the Federal Government to investigate Giwa’s murder, alongside other unresolved killings of journalists, and ensure the prosecution of those responsible.
He noted that the Federal Government had yet to demonstrate any progress or report concrete steps taken to establish the facts surrounding the assassination, identify those responsible and pursue accountability in accordance with the law.
He described the government’s failure to act as a contemptuous disregard for a valid and subsisting judicial order.
Longe urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to provide a clear account of the measures taken to implement the court order.
He said such an account should include the current status of the investigation, investigative measures undertaken and plans to pursue prosecution where the available evidence and applicable laws warrant it.
Maintaining that the passage of time does not extinguish the state’s responsibility to pursue accountability for an unlawful killing, Longe urged the authorities to explore all lawful investigative avenues.
These, he said, should include a systematic review of historical investigation files, witness accounts, documentary evidence and other materials that could help establish the circumstances surrounding the assassination.
He also called for the use of modern forensic and investigative techniques, where appropriate and feasible, to advance the search for justice.
According to him, the failure to resolve Giwa’s murder after four decades sends a damaging message about the safety of journalists in Nigeria and the consequences of violence against those who exercise their right to freedom of expression.
He added that the failure to hold anyone accountable for the high-profile killing of a prominent journalist such as Giwa sends the wrong signal to those inclined to attack media professionals because of their work, suggesting that they can do so without facing consequences.
Longe noted that MRA’s campaign for justice in Giwa’s case forms part of its broader efforts to secure accountability for the killings of journalists in Nigeria.
He called on the Federal Government to establish mechanisms to guarantee journalists’ safety, ensure that law enforcement agencies respond effectively to threats and attacks, and demonstrate through concrete action that violence against media professionals would not be tolerated.
He further stressed that Giwa’s legacy was reflected in the emergence of a media sector committed to investigating public affairs, holding those in power accountable and providing citizens with the information they need to participate meaningfully in public life.
A meaningful commemoration of Giwa’s life and work, he said, required a renewed commitment to the fundamental principles of independent journalism, including truth, accountability, professional courage and the public’s right to know.
“As Nigeria marks four decades since his assassination, the most fitting tribute to Dele Giwa would be demonstrable progress towards justice for him and his family, stronger guarantees for the safety of journalists, and a national commitment to ending impunity for crimes against journalists and other media professionals,” Longe said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the occasion and publisher of Vanguard newspaper, Mr. Sam Amuka, popularly known as Uncle Sam, urged journalists to continue speaking truth to power, saying Giwa exemplified that principle during his lifetime.
Amuka recalled that Giwa had complained bitterly about harassment in the course of his work as a journalist before his assassination.
He said the news of Giwa’s death left members of the media community traumatised and confused.
“When he died, we all gathered at the hospital, traumatised and confused. Later, we went to bury him so that he could rest in perfect peace,” Amuka said.
He added that Giwa had fought to make Nigeria, and Africa at large, a better place to live.
Reflecting on Giwa’s death and its implications for journalism, Amuka reaffirmed the importance of the profession in upholding democratic principles and holding those in power accountable.
In his review of Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism, journalist and columnist Simon Kolawole described the book as a necessary corrective to the tendency to focus on the circumstances of Giwa’s death at the expense of his remarkable contributions to journalism.
Titled The Pen That Outlived the Bomb, the review examined how the manner of Giwa’s death had, in some respects, overshadowed the significance of his life and work.
Kolawole observed that the parcel bomb that killed Giwa had threatened to become more famous than the pen he wielded as a journalist.
He said the assassination had become a prominent subject of public discourse, sometimes at the expense of recognising Giwa’s extraordinary contributions to Nigerian journalism.
According to Kolawole, the book serves as an important reminder that before Giwa became a victim of an attack on press freedom, he was first and foremost an outstanding journalist, a compelling storyteller and a writer of exceptional skill.
He said Giwa distinguished himself through his journalistic excellence, powerful storytelling and other outstanding professional achievements.
Kolawole’s review underscored the importance of remembering Giwa not only for the tragedy of his assassination but also for his enduring contributions to journalism and the principles of press freedom.
Forty years after his death, calls for justice in Giwa’s case continue to highlight the need to protect journalists, hold perpetrators of attacks against the media accountable and preserve the legacy of independent journalism in Nigeria.
For a better society
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