Mrs. Elekiya Ayisat Giwa, the 87-year-old mother of the late Dele Giwa, passed on Tuesday and many people have to recollect the circumstances of the unresolved murder of her illustrious son Dele Giwa, founder of Newswatch magazine, who was killed by a mail bomb in his home on October 19, 1986. The assassination occurred two days after he had been interviewed by State Security Service (SSS) officials as documented in newspapers. But lest we forget, the murderers of Dele Giwa who the greatest human rights activist in the history of Nigeria, Gani Fawehinmi wanted to unmask until his death on September 5, 2009, would like Nigerians to forget these facts of Nigerian history. And these evil people who have sold their souls to the devil may never be unmasked, because of the amnesia of majority of Nigerians whose gullibility, ignorance and hypocrisy have done more harm to them than the corruption of the kleptomaniacs who have ruled and ruined the commonwealth of our nation.

The following detailed information from Dr. Moshood Fayemiwo's Column on http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/fayemiwo/010213.html is enough for every Nigerian who wants to the truth.


[size=18pt]little about an event that just took place in Nigeria, my native country of birth. As most people know, I was a publisher/editor in Nigeria in the 1990s and there were a lot of news stories that my magazine, Razor published during those military years, but one stood out. The story was why then army chief, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babngida staged a coup against the then military head of state, Gen Muhammadu Buharu on Saturday August 27, 1985. It is on record that Razor was and still is the only newspaper/magazine in Nigeria up to date that published the "real" story of that military coup. We reported that Gen. Babangida and the then director of military intelligence; Brigadier Aliyu Gusua was running a drug cartel in the Nigerian Army with the wife of Gen Babangida, the late Mrs. Maryam Babangida and intelligence sources reached Gen Buhari, through the then director of the then Nigerian Security Organization (NSO)-now known as SSS-the late Ambassador Lawan Rafindadi. Gen Buhari, then head of state and the late Gen Tunde Idiagbon, who was the chief of staff supreme headquarters-deputy head of state-decided to retire then Brigadier Aliyu Gusua and Babangida. The memo that Buhari as head of state took to the army command for the retirements of both Aliyu Gusua and Babangida was leaked to top Nigerian journalists, among who was the late Mr. Dele Giwa, the founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine.

The involvement of Gen Ibrahim Babangida, his late wife, Maryam and Aliyu Gusua and some civilian business men in the trafficking of cocaine and heroin was the main reason Babangida staged the coup of August 27, 1985 and was the reason Mr. Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986 because he was planning to publish the story in Newswatch magazine, which was to be anchored by Mr. Kayode Soyinka, the then magazine's London Correspondent. When my magazine, Razor carried the story in September 1993-the only publication in Nigerian history to date-there were denials by some, but 28 (20 years and not 28 years as published last week) years after, I am happy that the truth has finally come out and my publication has been vindicated. The man at the center of it all, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, who was overthrown by Babangida, just granted an interview to the editors of The Sun newspapers in Nigeria on the anniversary of his 70th birthday. He confirmed blow-by-blow the Razor report and mentioned the name of Aliyu Gusua, who later became National Security Adviser to Obasanjo (1993-2006) and President Goodluck Jonathan (2010). But Buhari made an assertion in that block-buster interview, which to me was a challenge to the Nigerian media, especially the so-called mainstream newspapers whose editors tout themselves as the "best" in Nigeria.

Buhari said, the players are still alive: Babangida, Aliyu Gusua, Domkat Bali, etc. and the editors of The Sun newspapers and by extension, Nigerian newspaper editors should go and interview them. That was the same challenge I issued to Nigerian newspaper editors in 2010 during an interview in New York, because, this is part of Nigerian history and Nigerian striplings who weren't born or not old enough during the killing of Dele Giwa deserve to know the truth. Thank God Almighty that Gen Muhammadu Buhari is alive at 70 to scratch the surface and bring the history of Nigeria alive for today. But more importantly, both Gen Babangida and his Man Friday; Aliyu Gusua, are also alive. If they are real men of honor that they claim to be, and their often-touted claims of serving their fatherland with dignity and professional excellence are credible, they should react to that interview by Buhari in The Sun of both Saturday and Sunday December 22 and 23, 2012.

Babangida and Aliyu-Gusua should either deny or confirm what Razor published 28 (20 years and not 28 as published last week)years ago and has just been confirmed by the then military head of state and their former boss; Gen Muhammadu Buhari this week in an interview to wit:-That both men were involved in cocaine and heroin drug cartel in Nigeria; That both men were about to be retired by the Nigerian Armed Forces on account of their criminal actions as army officers; That the retirement of Aliyu-Gusua was to be announced first, and followed by that of Ibrahim Babangida in October 1985; That both Babangida and Aliyu-Gusua staged the August 1985 coup to stem their retirement; That the memo referred to Buhari in his interview was given to all top Nigerian newspaper and magazine editors but none could publish the story and Dele Giwa was killed, because he was about to publish the story; and finally, Razor eventually published it in September 1993 and ever since, every newspaper house in Nigeria has kept silent because of their fear of and for Babangida and Aliyu-Gusua.

These are germane issues on Nigerian national discourse, not only as a nation and Nigerians as a people but fundamentally on how much majority of Nigerians know about those who govern them.

See the link on the interview former Head of State and Military President of Nigeria, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, (1984-1985) granted The Sun newspaper on December 23, 2012 marking Buhari's 70th birthday. http://sunnewsonline.com/new/national/the-sun-exclusive-buhari-bares-it-all/


Dr Fayemiwo is author, publisher and CEO, Alternative Lifestyle Communication, DBA is an adjunct lecturer in African History & Media Studies at the City Colleges of Chicago in Illinois, USA.[/size]