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🇳🇬 Sumonu Oladele “Dele” Giwa remains one of the most important figures in Nigerian media history — a journalist whose commitment to truth redefined investigative reporting in Africa.
🧾 Basic Profile
Full Name: Sumonu Oladele Giwa
Born: March 16, 1947
Place of Birth: Ile-Ife, Western Region (now Osun State), Nigeria
Died: October 19, 1986
Age at Death: 39
Profession: Journalist, Editor, Publisher
🎓 Education
Dele Giwa was educated in Nigeria before proceeding to the United States, where he earned a degree in English from Brooklyn College, City University of New York.
📰 A Pioneer of Investigative Journalism
Giwa built a distinguished career in Nigerian journalism, working with leading media organizations including:
Daily Times of Nigeria
Sunday Concord
In 1984, he co-founded Newswatch Magazine alongside Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, and Yakubu Mohammed.
Newswatch quickly became Nigeria’s most influential news magazine, widely respected for its investigative reporting on:
Government accountability
Military rule
Human rights
National politics
At a time when press freedom was severely restricted, Newswatch stood out for its professionalism and courage,
💣 The Assassination
On October 19, 1986, at his home in Ikeja, Lagos, Dele Giwa received a parcel delivered to him. When he opened it, the package exploded, kpaing him instantly.
This tragic event marked Africa’s first known letter-bomb assassination of a journalist.
🕵️ Official Investigations
Before his death, Giwa had been invited and questioned by Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) regarding stories being prepared by Newswatch.
At the time, Nigeria was governed by a military administration under General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
His death triggered:
National and international outrage
Multiple investigations
A coroner’s inquest
Court cases against the Nigerian government
Despite these efforts, no individual has ever been charged or convicted for the crime.
🕊️ Legacy
Dele Giwa is remembered as:
A symbol of press freedom
A defender of truth and accountability
One of Africa’s most courageous journalists
His assassination remains one of the most painful and unresolved chapters in Nigeria’s democratic and media history.
🖋️ Enduring Truth
> “The duty of the press is to publish news that those in power do not want published.”
Dele Giwa lived by this principle — and paid the ultimate price for it.
🇳🇬 #DeleGiwa
#PressFreedom
#Journalism
#NigeriaHistory
#Newswatch
#NeverForget
#AfricanMedia.
SB E-news.
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