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Editorial Suite

By newswatchngr.com 21/10/2011 23:25:00

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The question which the assassination elicited on that fateful Sunday morning, when the news of his death broke has remained unanswered. Who killed Dele Giwa?

Twenty-Five years and yet it looks as if it happened only just yesterday. Dele Giwa, founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch who was killed by a parcel bomb dispatched to his residence on Talabi Street, Ikeja, on October 19, 1986, has not faded from the memory of the nation. His name has remained on the lips of many Nigerians. His murder has also remained a regular reference point whenever the most callous murders committed in this country are being listed. It has also remained, to date, the most bizarre.

The question which the assassination elicited on that fateful Sunday morning, when the news of his death broke has remained unanswered. Who killed Dele Giwa? And the inability of the nation’s security agencies to find an answer to this question has made the death of Giwa even more painful. Certainly, the pain of his death would have been considerably eased if somebody or some people had been identified and punished for this dastardly act.

On this occasion of the 25th anniversary of Giwa’s murder, Newswatch which he co-founded, decided to honour him with a special edition. The edition is an opportunity for us to re-tell the story of one of the greatest journalists the African continent has ever produced. This edition is about the story of his life, his career, his sojourn in America and how he stormed the Nigerian journalism landscape and dominated it. It is also about the story of his battles with security agencies and his eventual assassination.

We have also taken a look at the family he left behind, where its members are and what they are doing. His writings which endeared him to all his readers across the globe also got a generous treatment in this special package. The stories were written by our team of editors and the cover title is: Dele Giwa – Twenty-Five Years After.

Some of the articles written by his colleagues at Newswatch (Ray Ekpu, Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese) a few days after his death in reaction to the murder – have also been reproduced as part of the package. Enjoy it.