40 Years After Dele Giwa’s Murder, IPC Demands Fresh Investigation
40 Years After Dele Giwa’s Murder, IPC Demands Fresh Investigation
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, insisting that justice must be served four decades after his death.
The organisation made the call in a press statement issued on Monday, October 19, 2026, through its Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub to mark the 40th anniversary of Giwa’s assassination.
Giwa, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine, was killed on October 19, 1986, at his Lagos residence by a parcel bomb. He was 39 years old at the time of his death.
Despite the passage of 40 years, no one has been held criminally accountable for the murder, a situation the IPC described as a setback for justice, accountability and the protection of journalists in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the assassination was not merely a personal tragedy for Giwa’s family, colleagues and friends but also an attack on press freedom and the right of journalists to carry out their professional duties without fear of violence or intimidation.
According to Arogundade, the prolonged absence of justice should not be used as a reason to abandon the search for 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 said.
He added that the failure to resolve the case had raised concerns about Nigeria’s democratic and human rights record, particularly regarding the ability of institutions responsible for enforcing the law to ensure justice for murdered journalists.
The IPC-SPJ Hub, therefore, urged the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant investigative and prosecutorial authorities to reopen and conduct a credible and independent investigation into Giwa’s assassination.
The organisation also called for renewed investigations into other unresolved killings of journalists in the country, including the murder of Bayo Ohu of The Guardian on September 20, 2009.
Others listed were Nathan S. Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede of The Light Bearer, killed on April 24, 2010; Zakariya Isa of the Nigeria Television Authority, killed on October 22, 2011; and Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television, killed on January 20, 2012.
The list further included Maxwell Nashan of the Federal Radio Corporation, killed on January 15, 2020; Alex Ogbu of The Regent Africa Time Magazine, killed on January 21, 2020; Emmanuel Adeyemi of The Sun newspaper, killed on October 26, 2020; Titus Badejo of Naija FM, killed on June 19, 2021; and Tordue Salem of Vanguard newspaper, whose death was recorded on November 11, 2021.
Beyond investigations, the IPC urged the authorities to honour Giwa’s legacy by strengthening measures to protect journalists, noting that press freedom remained essential to transparency, democratic accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.
The organisation said the anniversary should go beyond annual speeches and tributes, stressing that meaningful action was necessary to ensure that journalists could work in an environment where their safety and professional independence were protected by law.
It maintained that Nigeria could not credibly celebrate press freedom while leaving one of the country’s most prominent attacks on a journalist unresolved for four decades.
