Media Rights Agenda, MRA, on Monday urged the Federal Government to obey a Federal High Court order directing it to investigate the murder of journalist Dele Giwa and prosecute those responsible, as the media community marked 40 years since his assassination.
Giwa, a renowned journalist and the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, was killed on October 19, 1986, by a parcel bomb delivered to his home in Ikeja, Lagos. Four decades on, no one has been held to account.
MRA called this “a shameful reminder of the entrenched culture of impunity for attacks against journalists in Nigeria.”
In a statement issued in Lagos, MRA’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Ayode Longe, said the anniversary should be more than a day to remember a distinguished journalist and celebrate his work.
It should also prompt fresh public scrutiny of the failure to deliver justice, and of the lack of concrete action by the Government and the Police.
“Forty years is far too long for the assassination of a journalist of Dele Giwa’s stature to remain unresolved,” Longe said.
“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.”
On February 16, 2024, MRA won a judgment at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The court ordered the Government to investigate Giwa’s murder and other unresolved killings of journalists, and to ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted.
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The organization said the Government has shown no progress and reported no concrete steps to establish the facts, identify those responsible and pursue accountability under the law.
Longe described this as “a contemptuous disregard for a valid and subsisting judicial order.”
He called on the Attorney-General, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant authorities to explain what has been done to implement the order, including the status of the investigation, the measures taken and any plans for prosecution where the evidence and the law allow.
Longe said the passage of time does not end the State’s duty to pursue accountability for an unlawful killing. He urged the authorities to explore every lawful avenue, including a systematic review of historical case files, witness accounts, documents and any other material that could help establish what happened.
Modern forensic and investigative tools should also be used where appropriate and feasible, he said.
He warned that leaving the case unresolved after 40 years sends “a damaging message about the safety of journalists in Nigeria” and about the cost of violence against people exercising their right to free expression.
It also tells those inclined to attack journalists for their work that they can do so without consequences, he added.
Longe said MRA’s campaign for justice in the Giwa case is part of wider efforts to secure accountability for the killings of journalists in Nigeria.
He urged the Federal Government to set up mechanisms to guarantee journalists’ safety, make sure law enforcement agencies respond effectively to threats and attacks, and show through action that violence against media professionals will not be tolerated.
A fitting tribute to Giwa’s life and work, he said, requires renewed commitment to the principles behind independent journalism: 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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