BABANGIDA DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN DELE GIWA’S ASSASSINATION
Former Nigerian military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), has reiterated that he had no involvement in the assassination of Dele Giwa, the Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch. Giwa, a vocal critic of Babangida’s administration, was killed by a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986.
Two days before the attack, a senior official of the Directorate of Military Intelligence accused Giwa of illegally importing arms to stage a socialist revolution in Nigeria. The next day, security chief Colonel Halilu Akilu called to assure Giwa that the matter had been a misunderstanding and had been resolved. However, according to Newswatch co-founder Ray Ekpu, hours later, a government emissary delivered a parcel to Giwa’s Ikeja residence. His son, Billy, handed it to him while he sat at the dining table with Newswatch’s London correspondent, Kayode Soyinka. The envelope, marked “To be opened by addressee only,” bore the seal of the Presidency.
Addressing longstanding allegations in his autobiography, A Journey in Service, presented in Abuja on Thursday, Babangida stated that he hopes the truth about Giwa’s murder will one day be uncovered.
“The hysteria of the media did not help the investigation,” he wrote.
“The Nigerian media has historically maintained an adversarial stance against the government, judging it guilty even before evidence is presented. When the Obasanjo administration reopened the case at the Oputa Panel, I expected new findings, but nothing emerged. Like many mysterious crimes, Giwa’s murder remains unsolved. I keep hoping that one day—whether in our lifetime or after—the truth will be revealed.”
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