By Elizabeth Osayande
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has called on the Federal Government to implement a court order directing it to investigate the assassination of renowned journalist and founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, Dele Giwa, and prosecute those found responsible.
The call came on Monday, October 19, 2026, as Nigeria marked the 40th anniversary of Giwa’s death. He was killed on October 19, 1986, by a parcel bomb delivered to his residence in Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement issued in Lagos, the media rights organisation described the failure to resolve the case four decades later as a “shameful reminder of the entrenched culture of impunity for attacks against journalists in Nigeria.”
MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Ayode Longe, said the anniversary should go beyond remembering Giwa’s contributions to journalism and should prompt renewed scrutiny of the failure to deliver justice.
“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 said.
He recalled that on February 16, 2024, MRA secured a judgment at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation.
According to him, the court ordered the Federal Government to investigate Giwa’s murder and other unresolved killings of journalists, and ensure the prosecution of those responsible.
Longe said the government had yet to demonstrate progress or report concrete steps taken to establish the facts surrounding the killings, identify those responsible and pursue accountability in accordance with the law.
He described the lack of visible action as a disregard for a valid and subsisting judicial order.
The MRA official urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to provide a clear account of the steps taken to implement the judgment.
He said the report should include the status of the investigation, measures already undertaken and plans for prosecution where supported by the available evidence and applicable law.
Longe argued that the passage of time did not extinguish the state’s responsibility to pursue accountability for an unlawful killing. He urged investigators to explore all lawful avenues, including reviewing historical case files, witness accounts, documentary evidence and other materials that could help establish the circumstances of Giwa’s assassination.
He also called for the use of modern forensic and investigative techniques where appropriate and feasible.
According to him, the failure to resolve the case sends a damaging message about the safety of journalists in Nigeria and the consequences of violence against people exercising their right to freedom of expression.
He warned that leaving such a high-profile killing unresolved could signal to those inclined to attack journalists that they might do so without facing consequences.
Longe said MRA’s campaign for justice in Giwa’s case formed 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 protect journalists, ensure law enforcement agencies respond effectively to threats and attacks, and demonstrate through concrete action that violence against media professionals would not be tolerated.
He noted that Giwa’s legacy included his contribution to the development of a media sector committed to investigating public affairs, holding those in power accountable and providing citizens with information needed to participate in public life.
According to him, a meaningful commemoration of Giwa’s life and work requires renewed commitment to 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.
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