Dele Giwa: Thirty-nine, thirty-nine

Those who killed Dele Giwa failed. Woefully. They only succeeded in taking his soul. His spirit continues to live and in this, we find the best of journalism and with that, we continue to speak truth to power not minding who feels offended

In October, it will be thirty-nine years since the murder of Sunmonu Oladele Giwa, better known as Dele Giwa, the subject of ‘Born to Run’, the thrilling book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede and Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, now of blessed memory.

Though published about a year after Giwa’s shocking death, I only some weeks back had the honour to read this book, which lay bare Giwa’s dramatic life. What makes this year’s anniversary of Giwa’s parcel-bombing special is the rhythm of it all: He was thirty-nine at death and it is now thirty-nine years since evildoers took out his beautiful soul, who was editor-in-chief of Newswatch.

The parcel that ended it all was delivered at Talabi Street, off Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, on a Sunday morning while Christians worshipped in churches. House 25, the site of the unprecedented tragedy, later became a hospital where doctors saved lives. Today, it houses a newspaper, The New Telegraph.

On that terrifying morning, death arrived in an envelope. Nigerians were shocked: Giwa was the first person in the country to be killed by a parcel bomb. Until then, many did not even know such a device existed.

He was in his study, having a late breakfast with colleague Kayode Soyinka, publisher of the London-based Africa Today and former Ogun State governorship aspirant, when the bomb went off. Giwa did not die immediately. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Amid the rubble of the television set, louvres, chairs, table, and other household items, Giwa was quoted as saying: “They’ve got me!”

Giwa, who studied English and Communication Arts at Brooklyn College in New York, earning both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees, left a legacy time cannot erase. The refined journalist had a stint with The New York Times before returning home in 1976 at the urging of friends. His end was violent and unresolved. No one has definitively answered the question of who killed him.

On that fateful Sunday, the parcel was handed to Giwa’s then 19-year-old son, Billy, who accepted it on his behalf. By the time Giwa tried to open it, the assailants had vanished. The blast tore open his lower body.

Soyinka, then Newswatch’s London Bureau Chief, suffered perforated eardrums. He, too, was taken to the First Foundation Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, for treatment before returning to the UK, where he has lived since, visiting Nigeria regularly in connection with Africa Today.

Giwa reportedly said before opening the package: “This must be from the president.” The military president at the time was Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, who has consistently denied any involvement in the murder.

The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Giwa’s lawyer, led the campaign to hold Babangida accountable for the journalist’s death. Fawehinmi once secured court permission to sue two security chiefs, Col. Halilu Akilu and Lt. Col. A.K. Togun, who were then Director of Military Intelligence and Deputy Director of the State Security Service (SSS), respectively. But both men were exonerated for lack of evidence. Fawehinmi took the case to the Supreme Court and still lost. He also tried to get answers through the Oputa Panel. All to no avail.

Years later, journalist and lawyer Richard Akinnola published a book titled Dele Giwa’s Murder: The Answered Question. Some days ago, Akinnola took on Yakubu Mohammed, one of Giwa’s colleagues, over his memoir, which painted Fawehinmi in a not-so-good light.

Maj. Debo Basorun (rtd.), who was military press secretary to Babangida, also wrote a book on the subject. In a newspaper interview, Basorun said he was persecuted because of what he revealed about Giwa’s killing.

“I was privy to some of the terrible things when we were in the army… My problem is 2011. I am one of those who know that he is connected to the death of Dele Giwa. That is why they have been trying to kill me. I was sent to do a dirty job in America in respect of Dele Giwa’s death. I refused to comply. When I came back, they threw me in jail. Newspapers reported it then. I protested. The press was on my side. I shouted from the rooftop that ‘these people want to kill me.’ They decided to send me to a unit in Makurdi, which was like Siberia then. I refused to go. Incidentally, the General Staff Headquarters, which was my unit (and Babangida’s too), issued an order that anyone wanting to leave the army should volunteer. It coincided with my ordeal. So I volunteered and resigned. I quoted their order in my resignation letter. But out of all who resigned then, mine was the only letter they rejected. I had to get lawyers. Alao Aka-Basorun was my lawyer.”

Last year, Babangida published his autobiography, bluntly denying any role in Giwa’s killing. Many have since resigned themselves to fate. With security agencies failing to solve the case, some Nigerians now look to supernatural powers for answers.

Until then, the question remains: Who killed Dele Giwa?

My final take: Those who killed Dele Giwa failed. Woefully. They only succeeded in taking his soul. His spirit continues to live and, in this, we find the best of journalism and with that, we continue to speak truth to power not minding who feels offended.