Media Rights Agenda on Monday called on the Federal Government to carry out a 2024 court order directing it to investigate the assassination of journalist Dele Giwa and prosecute those responsible, as Nigeria marked 40 years since his death.
Giwa, founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on October 19, 1986, by a parcel bomb delivered to his home in Ikeja, Lagos. The case remains unresolved.
In a statement issued in Lagos, MRA Deputy Executive Director Ayode Longe described the lack of resolution after four decades as a “shameful reminder of the entrenched culture of impunity for attacks against journalists in Nigeria.”
He said the anniversary should prompt renewed scrutiny of the failure to deliver justice rather than serve only as an occasion for tributes. “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.
On February 16, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Federal Government, in a suit brought by MRA against the Attorney-General of the Federation, to investigate Giwa’s murder and other unresolved killings of journalists and ensure the prosecution of those found responsible.
Longe said the government has yet to show progress or report concrete steps to establish the facts, identify those responsible or pursue accountability. He described the absence of visible action as disregard for a valid court order and urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force and other authorities to provide a clear account of steps taken. That account, he said, should cover the status of the investigation, measures already undertaken and plans for prosecution where evidence supports it.
The passage of time does not extinguish the state’s duty to pursue accountability for an unlawful killing, Longe argued. He called on investigators to review historical case files, witness accounts and documentary evidence, and to apply modern forensic techniques where appropriate.
Leaving the high-profile case unresolved, he warned, sends a damaging message about the safety of journalists and may signal that attacks on media professionals can occur without consequence.
MRA’s campaign forms part of broader efforts to secure accountability for killings of journalists in Nigeria. Longe called on the Federal Government to establish mechanisms to protect journalists, ensure effective responses to threats and attacks, and demonstrate that violence against media professionals will not be tolerated.
He said a meaningful tribute to Giwa’s legacy of investigative journalism and holding power to account requires progress toward justice for him and his family, stronger safety guarantees for journalists, and a national commitment to ending impunity.
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