Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), has refuted allegations linking him to the assassination of veteran journalist and Newswatch Editor-in-Chief, Dele Giwa.
Giwa, known for his fearless criticism of Babangida’s regime, was killed on October 19, 1986, when a parcel bomb exploded at his residence in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to The PUNCH, two days prior to the attack, a high-ranking officer from the Directorate of Military Intelligence accused Giwa of smuggling arms and ammunition, allegedly to orchestrate a socialist revolution in Nigeria.
Concerned by this allegation, Giwa promptly sought legal counsel from renowned lawyer Gani Fawehinmi.
The following day, Colonel Halilu Akilu, a top security official, reached out to Giwa, assuring him that the accusation had been a misunderstanding and that the issue had been resolved.
Giwa was advised not to dwell on the matter.
However, just hours later, a government emissary arrived at his home with a parcel. His son, Billy, received the package and handed it over to his father, who was at the dining table with Kayode Soyinka, Newswatch’s London correspondent.
The envelope, bearing the seal of the Presidency and marked “To be opened by addressee only,” exploded upon opening, instantly killing Giwa and injuring Soyinka.
Decades after the tragic incident, Babangida, in his newly launched autobiography, A Journey in Service, maintained his innocence.
Speaking during the book presentation in Abuja on Thursday, he argued that media sensationalism had hindered the investigation into Giwa’s murder.
He stated, “The hysteria of the media did not help the investigation of the Giwa murder. As is typical of the Nigerian media, the direction was marked by an adversarial attitude towards the government, which had remained the hallmark of the Nigerian media from its colonial heyday.
“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 book launch also doubled as the unveiling of Babangida’s presidential library.
The high-profile event was graced by President Bola Tinubu, who led a host of former Nigerian presidents, military leaders, and business magnates, including Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Also present were ex-Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar, Namadi Sambo, and Yemi Osinbajo, along with prominent politicians such as Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, and NNPP’s presidential flagbearer and ex-Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The keynote speech was delivered by former Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, while ex-Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma also attended the occasion.
The gathering attracted several governors, traditional rulers, industrialists, and government officials, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
