Dele Giwa: IPC demands justice 40 years after assassination

Nineteen eighty-six marked a somber milestone in Nigeria’s history, as the country observed four decades since the assassination of Dele Giwa, the visionary Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine. The International Press Centre, IPC, has vehemently demanded answers, accountability, and justice in commemoration of this tragic event.

In a press release by Melody Akinjiyan, the Safety and Protection of Journalists officer, the IPC's SPJ Hub urged the Federal Government and relevant authorities to re-open the case and establish accountability for the journalist’s demise.

Dele Giwa's assassination, carried out with a letter bomb on October 19, 1986, left his family, friends, and colleagues devastated. The IPC, in a statement, lamented the fact that four decades had passed without anyone facing the repercussions of the killing. Executive Director Lanre Arogundade emphasized that the assassination was more than a personal tragedy; it was an affront to the very core of journalism, the freedom to investigate, question authority, and report in the public interest without fear of violence or intimidation.

He stressed that time should not hinder authorities' pursuit of answers, urging them to renew efforts to find 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 also called for the reopening of the case against other unresolved journalist killings, including Bayo Ohu, Nathan S. Dabak, and Zakariya Isa.

They also urged for stronger protection of journalists, warning that press freedom is vital to transparency, democratic accountability, and citizens' rights. Giwa's legacy, they stressed, demands action, not just annual remembrances.