The International Press Centre (IPC) has called on the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to reopen the investigation into the murder of Dele Giwa, founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, 40 years after his assassination.
Giwa, 39, was killed on October 19, 1986, when a parcel bomb was delivered to his residence in Lagos. Four decades after the incident, no one has been held criminally accountable for the journalist’s death.
The demand was made by the Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub of the IPC in a statement issued on Sunday, October 19, 2026, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination.
The statement, signed by the Centre’s Press Freedom Officer, Melody Akinjiyan, described the unresolved murder as a serious concern for justice, human rights and press freedom in Nigeria.
Giwa, who previously served as Sunday Editor of National Concord, was widely recognised for his contributions to investigative journalism and his advocacy for the public’s right to information.
Executive Director of the IPC, Lanre Arogundade, said the journalist’s assassination represented an attack on the freedom of the press and the ability of media professionals to hold those in authority accountable without fear.
He said the failure to resolve the case after four decades raised serious questions about Nigeria’s commitment to justice and accountability.
According to Arogundade, the passage of time should not be used as a justification for abandoning efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding Giwa’s death and bring those responsible to justice.
The IPC-SPJ Hub consequently urged the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant investigative and prosecutorial authorities to initiate a credible and independent investigation into the murder.
It also called for renewed investigations into other unresolved killings of journalists across the country.
Among the cases highlighted were the murder of Bayo Ohu of The Guardian on September 20, 2009; Nathan S. Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede of The Light Bearer on April 24, 2010; Zakariya Isa of the Nigerian Television Authority on October 22, 2011; and Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television on January 20, 2012.
Others were Maxwell Nashan of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, killed on January 15, 2020; Alex Ogbu of The Regent Africa Times, on January 21, 2020; Emmanuel Adeyemi of The Sun newspaper, on October 26, 2020; Titus Badejo of Naija FM, on June 19, 2021; and Tordue Salem of Vanguard, on November 11, 2021.
The Centre further urged the government to strengthen measures to protect journalists and ensure that those who threaten or attack media professionals are held accountable.
It warned against limiting the anniversary of Giwa’s death to speeches and ceremonial tributes, insisting that his legacy should inspire concrete action to protect press freedom and uphold the rule of law.
The IPC maintained that Nigeria’s commitment to press freedom would remain in question for as long as the circumstances surrounding one of the country’s most notorious attacks on a journalist remained unresolved.