Media & Journalism
Landmark
Dele Giwa
1947 – 1986
Nigeria's first letter-bomb assassination, and the case that is still open
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Why they are here
He founded Newswatch, was interrogated by state security over a column, and three days later opened a parcel at his own breakfast table. "They got me," he said. Nobody has ever been convicted.
Dele Giwa was born on 16 March 1947 and was a Nigerian journalist, editor and founder of Newswatch magazine.
On 16 October 1986 he was interrogated by the State Security Service over a column he had written on the Babangida government's foreign exchange policy. Three days later, on 19 October, he opened a package delivered to his home in Ikeja, Lagos, and was killed by the bomb inside — the first letter-bomb assassination in the history of the Nigerian press. Decades of campaigning have not produced a conviction, and in 2024 a court ordered the case reopened.
On 16 October 1986 he was interrogated by the State Security Service over a column he had written on the Babangida government's foreign exchange policy. Three days later, on 19 October, he opened a package delivered to his home in Ikeja, Lagos, and was killed by the bomb inside — the first letter-bomb assassination in the history of the Nigerian press. Decades of campaigning have not produced a conviction, and in 2024 a court ordered the case reopened.
- Wikipedia — Dele Giwa
- Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada — Information on the death of Dele Giwa, editor-in-chief of Newswatch
- Daily Trust — Court orders FG to reopen Giwa's murder case
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