Yakubu Mohammed, one of the founding editors and directors of Newswatch, has finally addressed the long-standing speculations surrounding the 1986 assassination of the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Dele Giwa. Giwa was killed on October 19, 1986, when a parcel bomb was delivered to his Lagos residence, an event that sent shockwaves across Nigeria and remains one of the country’s most infamous unsolved murders.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

For decades, rumors circulated that Giwa’s death was connected to his alleged investigation of Gloria Okon, a young Nigerian woman arrested in Kano and purportedly linked to high-profile drug trafficking networks. Theories suggested that Okon, who reportedly died in police custody, had threatened to expose influential figures, including then-military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and his wife, Maryam. Other versions claimed that Okon had survived and was secretly flown to the United Kingdom, and that Giwa was on the verge of publishing a revealing report about her when he was killed.

These speculations gained renewed attention when Abubakar Tsav, the senior police officer who investigated Giwa’s murder, testified before the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission in 2001, lending credibility to the Okon angle in public discourse.

Nearly 39 years later, Mohammed, in his forthcoming memoir Beyond Expectations, dismisses the Gloria Okon narrative as a deliberate distraction. According to Mohammed, “Some people who had an axe to grind with Babangida pursued a narrow narrative, and that eventually impacted the investigation.”

Mohammed, who was Newswatch’s executive editor at the time, recalled that the magazine, often referred to as “the TIME magazine of Nigeria,” was hindered by conspiracy theories that compromised serious efforts to uncover the truth. He emphasized that the Okon-related rumors and claims of Giwa’s alleged London interview “prevented a proper investigation of the gruesome incident.”

In his memoir, Mohammed reflects on the enduring mystery surrounding Giwa’s death: “Who killed Dele Giwa? Nearly four decades after, the search for his killers has not yielded any definitive results, largely because the inquiry was mired in controversies fueled by sporadic eruptions of conspiracy theories—some more ridiculous than others.”

He detailed the editorial process at Newswatch and clarified that no journalist or editor had been planning a story on Gloria Okon. A junior reporter had briefly suggested investigating the matter, but after follow-up, she concluded there was nothing substantial. Mohammed affirmed, “Until the tragic death of Dele, nobody heard anything again about Gloria Okon.”

Contrary to persistent rumors, Giwa’s trip to London in 1986 was not to investigate Okon but to visit Ime Umanah, the chairman of Newswatch Communications Limited, who had been hospitalized following an accident. Mohammed and Giwa also traveled to Amsterdam to inspect a printing press for the magazine. During this time, Giwa remained in London under Mohammed’s watch, nullifying claims that he conducted a London interview with Okon.

Mohammed also addressed the widely debated role of Colonel Haliru Akilu, then-director of military intelligence. The conspiracy theory suggested Akilu orchestrated Giwa’s death by confirming his presence at home. Mohammed recounted that Giwa had actually contacted Akilu regarding a prior visit to the SSS, and that the parcel bomb was delivered independently, unrelated to Akilu’s involvement.

Mohammed further clarified the presence of Kayode Soyinka, the magazine’s London bureau chief, at Giwa’s residence, explaining that Soyinka routinely stayed with the Giwa family during visits to Nigeria. Soyinka had returned to brief the team on a U.S. assignment and was not involved in any alleged Okon investigation.

Reflecting on the wider context, Mohammed noted the role of public perception and political biases in shaping the narrative around Giwa’s death. “During the tragedy, some people eager to assign blame to Babangida’s administration pursued narrow theories,” he wrote. According to Mohammed, these selective narratives ultimately constrained the investigation, leaving the question of Giwa’s killers unresolved decades later.

He concluded on a reflective note: “Whatever is hidden from man is not hidden from God Almighty.”

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