Retired military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has refuted allegations of any involvement in the assassination of veteran journalist and Newsw
Retired military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has refuted allegations of any involvement in the assassination of veteran journalist and Newswatch Editor-in-Chief, Dele Giwa.
Giwa, known for his outspoken criticism of Babangida’s military regime, was killed by a parcel bomb at his home in Ikeja, Lagos State, on October 19, 1986.
Just two days before his assassination, a senior officer from the Directorate of Military Intelligence accused Giwa of illegally importing and stockpiling weapons to incite a socialist revolution in Nigeria. Disturbed by this accusation, Giwa promptly sought legal counsel from human rights lawyer Gani Fawehinmi.
The following day, Colonel Halilu Akilu, a top security official, reached out to Giwa, assuring him that the allegations were a misunderstanding, had been resolved, and that he had nothing to worry about.
As recounted by Giwa’s colleague at Newswatch, Ray Ekpu, a government messenger arrived at Giwa’s Ikeja home hours later. Giwa’s son, Billy, received a parcel and handed it over to his father, who was seated at the dining table with Kayode Soyinka, Newswatch’s London correspondent visiting from the United Kingdom, UK.
The envelope, bearing the official seal of the Presidency, was labeled “To be opened by addressee only.” Moments after opening it, the explosion occurred.
Decades after the incident, Babangida continues to reject claims linking him to Giwa’s assassination. In his newly released autobiography, A Journey in Service, launched in Abuja on Thursday, February 20, he maintained his innocence and expressed confidence that the truth about the journalist’s death would eventually come to light.
“It was an attitude of ‘we versus the government’ that has remained today. It is a situation in which the government is adjudged guilty even before the evidence in a case is adduced.
“When the Obasanjo civilian administration reopened the Giwa case at the Oputa Panel on Human and Civil Rights, I expected that the police and lawyers would come forward with new evidence as to their findings on the Giwa murder over the years.
“Nothing of such happened. The Giwa, like all mysterious murders, has remained unsolved after so many years. I keep hoping it will be uncovered in our lifetime or after us. More often than not, mysterious crimes are solved long after their commission.”
The event marking the public presentation of Babangida’s autobiography also featured the inauguration of his presidential library.
President Bola Tinubu led a distinguished gathering of former presidents, ex-military leaders, and prominent business figures, including billionaire industrialist Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Among the notable attendees were former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo, and Yemi Osinbajo, as well as Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi. Also present was the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, presidential candidate and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The keynote address was delivered by former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, while former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma was also in attendance.
The event was graced by state governors, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, as well as key industrialists, technocrats, and traditional rulers.
