25 Facts About Dele Giwa

Dele Giwa was a Nigerian journalist, editor, and founder of Newswatch magazine.

Dele Giwa was murdered when he opened the package with a bomb at his Ikeja, Lagos residence on October 19,1986.

Sumonu Oladele "Baines" Giwa hailed from Ugbekpe Ekperi, Etsako East local government area of Edo state.

Dele Giwa was born on 16 March 1947, to a family working in the palace of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife.

Dele Giwa attended local Authority Modern School in Lagere, Ile-lfe.

Dele Giwa travelled to the USA for his higher education, earning a BA in English from Brooklyn College in 1977 and enrolled for a Graduate program at Fordham University.

Dele Giwa worked for The New York Times as a news assistant for four years after which he relocated to Nigeria to work with Daily Times.

Dele Giwa later married Olufunmilayo Olaniyan on 10 July 1984, and they were married until his death in 1986.

Dele Giwa was survived by his mother, wives and children.

Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb in his home at Ikeja, Lagos, while in his study with Kayode Soyinka, on Sunday 19 October 1986.

Dele Giwa was later taken to meet with Lt Col Togun, the deputy director of the agency in his office.

Togun accused Dele Giwa plotting with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and students to carry out a socialist revolution.

Dele Giwa was accused of saying that Newswatch would employ the suspended police public relations officer Alozie Ogugbuaja.

Dele Giwa reported the interrogations to his friend Prince Tony Momoh who was then the Minister of Communications, Dele Giwa had told Momoh that he feared for his life because of the weight of the accusations levelled against him.

Ekpu says Dele Giwa replied Akilu that it wasn't over and that he had already informed his lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi to follow up on the matter.

Billy said that was not the first time his father will be receiving letters from the government When Dele Giwa received the package from his son, he was with Kayode Soyinka.

Dele Giwa was rushed to the hospital where he eventually died from his wounds.

The only known interview Dele Giwa gave to any New York daily was one published eight months earlier in a New York Times story about rising religious nationalism and extremism in Nigeria.

Dele Giwa said he did not know where Omeben got that false information from.

Dele Giwa said that he had requested that the privileges of these officers be withdrawn so he could take their statements and conduct a search of their offices and residences for items of evidential value but this request was denied.

Tsav said he believed Dele Giwa was killed because he believed Dele Giwa was in "the way of some powerful forces".

The theory goes on that Babangida spirited Okon out of detention to the United Kingdom, sold the public the ruse of a dead Gloria Okon and that Dele Giwa happened upon Okon on a trip to the UK where she told him her story.

The story goes on that armed with this information, Dele Giwa tried to blackmail the now Military President, Ibrahim Babangida and this was why he was killed.

Mohammed claims that Dele Giwa had not been writing any Gloria Okon story and that the closest Newswatch got to a Gloria Okon story was at one of the magazine's editorial conferences where a Newswatch reporter, Bose lasaki, who was a niece to President Olusegun Obasanjo spoke about a "rumour" making the rounds to the effect that Gloria Okon had not died in detention but had been spirited out of the country.

Mohammed alleged that Dele Giwa was not at any of these meetings.