REMEMBERING THE SLAIN JOURNALIST DELE GIWA, 30 YEARS AFTER

Yesterday makes it 30 years since ace journalist and founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch Dele Giwa was killed with a parcel bomb. For those who don’t know him, Dele Giwa and fellow journalists Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed founded Newswatch in 1984 and was killed by a mail bomb in his Lagos home on 19 October 1986, aged 39years.

The assassination occurred two days after he had been interviewed by State Security Service (SSS) officials.

Born Sumonu Oladele "Baines" Giwa (16 March 1947 – 19 October 1986) to a poor family working in the palace of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife. He attended local Authority Modern School in Lagere, Ile-lfe. When his father moved to Oduduwa College, Ile-Ife as a laundry man, he gained admission to that school. Dele Giwa travelled to the USA for his higher education, earning a BA in English fromBrooklyn College in 1977 and enrolled for a Graduate program at Fordham University. He worked with the New York Times as a news assistant for four years after which he relocated to Nigeria to work with Daily Times.

HOW HE DIED

ON 19 October, 1982, a package was delivered to Giwa's guard (the accounts of which vehicle was used to deliver the package vary). When Giwa received the package, he was with Kayode Soyinka (London Bureau Chief of Newswatch). The package exploded, mortally wounded Giwa and temporarily deafening Soyinka, who had excused himself to the rest room shortly before Giwa was supposed to have attempted opening the package. Giwa was rushed to the hospital where he eventually died from his wounds.

A day before the bombing, a staff of the DMI had phoned Giwa's house and asked for his office phone number from his wife Funmi. This same person from the DMI later called back to say he couldn't reach Giwa at the office and then put Col Akilu on the line. Ekpu alleges that Akilu asked Giwa's wife for driving directions to the house and when she asked him why he needed the directions he explained that he wanted to stop by the house on his way to Kano and he wasn't very familiar with Ikeja, he also offered that the President's ADC had something for Giwa, probably an invitation. According to Ekpu this didn't come as a surprise because Giwa had received advance copies of some of the President's speeches in the past through Akilu.

On 19 October, Giwa phoned Akilu to ask why he had been calling his house the previous day, Akilu was alleged to have explained that he only wanted to tell Giwa that the matter had been resolved. Ekpu says Giwa replied Akilu that it wasn't over and that he had already informed his lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi to follow up on the matter. Akilu then told Giwa that there was no need for that, that it wasn't a matter for lawyers and that he should consider the matter resolved.

Hhis body after the blast.

The percel was delivered about 40 minutes after the telephone conversation with Akilu.

Professor Taiyemiwo Ogunade gave a bombshell interview to the NATION newspaper in which he made startling revelations about those who killed Dele Giwa in 1986. He believed that Buba Marwa delivered the percel bomb that killed Dele Giwa

Tunde, a younger brother of the slain founding Editor of Newswatch Magazine, Dele Giwa  

said he know who killed his brother. He said the family continued to live in pain seeing that

Giwa’s killer, “who everyone knows” was still around and walking freely. Tunde spoke on

Behalf of the Giwa family on Wednesday at a colloquium organised by the Nigeria Union

of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council to mark the 30th anniversary of Dele Giwa’s death.

He called on journalists in the country to help the family get justice. Tunde said, “You people should help us to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Dele Giwa. Everybody knows the person that killed him. He’s there walking freely around. I can mention his name if you want.“Please, help us

The day I see the killer arraigned in court, I will be the happiest person on earth.”

May his gentle soul rest in Peace.