HOW SUMONU (OLA)DELE GIWA (1947 - 1986) DIED.

No one can lie in the bed of the kings without catching from them the madness of destruction, I too have gone mad.... Napoleon Bonaparte!

Nigeria is worth living for but does not worth dieing for...Bola Ige!

IBB:. The only truthful Nigerian is Gani Fawehinmi.
Interviewer: So why did you jail him
IBB: Because all the past administrations have jailed him.

These are the words of politicians and their view about politics. Globally, politics and political activist have witnessed assassinations, both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. Alexander Great, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, JF Kennedy were all assassinated. Mahatma Gandhi, an activist was also assassinated.

Here in Nigeria, post colonial politics have not been devoid of that political element of assassinations. More pronounced among them are they assassinations of: Bola Ige(2001) Gloria Okon(1985), Funsho Williams(2006). However, the one that will not go away easily from the history of Nigerian politics and Journalism is the assassination of Journalist Dele Giwa on 19th October, 1986.

Dele Giwa who came from a humble family in the present day Osun was popular political critics and Journalist. His father worked in the palace of Ooni of Ife before he secured a job as a laundry man. Dele Giwa studied English but was exposed to journalism when he was working in New York times. Giwa would later return to Nigeria to cover stories for Daily Times newspaper. After working for Daily Times for sometime, he established Newswatch magazine in 1984 in collaboration with 3 other colleagues of his.

Newswatch magazine became the post colonial 'West African Pilot' in the political sphere. The weekly magazine began to distribute copies from 1985, just months before the then Chief of staff, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida overthrew his boss, Muhammad Buhari in a palace coup on 27th August 1985. While the magazine have not been writing positively about the administration of Muhammad Buhari, the then head of state, it was praising the new military head of state to the extent that Newswatch magazine had IBB on its cover for 4 times, three of which was in the 1985.

THE FALLOUT
In 1986, government of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida introduced a policy in central bank of Nigeria called Second-tier Foreign Exchange Market (sFEM), this policy would go a long way in making naira to have a different exchange rate with Naira to Dollar. This was not well welcomed by the Newswatch editor-in-chief, Dele Giwa. They wrote an article about it strongly condemning it. This will begin it's fallout with the government of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB).

Around the same time, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida's childhood friend, Mamman Jiya Vasta was caught to be plotting against IBB. While the coup was marked as treason, it should also be noted that Mamman Vasta was a secretary to the court martial tribunal that tried Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimkpa's 13th February, 1976 coup that took out the then head of state, Murtala Muhammed. He was made the secretary to the tribunal because he strongly condemned the coup. As at the time that Buhari overthrew Shagari, Vasta was on leave. At the time that IBB overthrew Buhari, Vasta was with Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari's deputy on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Idiagbon was tricked out of the country because he was a indefatigable soldier who was would have made the coup impossible, so IBB and his boss MKO Abiola tricked him into having a meal with top Islamic leaders in Mecca, an offer that no Muslim will reject. Before their plane could land, Buhari was overthrowned.

Back to Nigeria, Mamman Vasta was made Federal minister of Capital Territory. Then, Abia State born Ebitu Ukiwe was the deputy to IBB. Ukiwe was later removed in 1986, while Mamman Vasta was being tried for treason by his childhood friend, IBB. Before Mamman Vasta was executed on 5th March 1986, he recorded a video of IBB's original plan as it pertakes to sFEM and the real reason why IBB removed Ebitu Ukiwe as his deputy. As at the same time, State Security Service (SSS) was formed.

This video was with Taiyemiwo Ogunade (Now professor emeritus). While this video exposed real plans of IBB was made while Vasta was in prison awaiting his execution, no one knew how Dele Giwa got to know about this video. Dele Giwa contacted Ogunade to have a copy of the video.

Sequel to all these drama, Dele Giwa wrote an article strongly condemning sFEM, arguing that if sFEM fails, Nigerians will stone their leaders in the streets. After this write-up, the government of IBB which was now under constant attack by Dele Giwa learnt of the video. IBB led government had Lt Col Ajibola Kunle Togun (deputy director of SSS) and Halilu Akilu (Director of Military Intelligence) to independently interview Dele Giwa.

In the interview, A.K. Togun accused Dele Giwa of plotting with some top personnel of SSS to leak government doings to him. Col Togun also accused Dele Giwa of plotting with Nigerian labour Congress (NLC) ,Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other organizations to cause civil unrest. All these were same accusations against him when Halilu Akilu interviewed him on phone. This was followed by constant calls from Federal Personels.

On 18th October,1986 Halilu Akilu phoned Dele Giwa to inform him that the case has been resolved. Akilu also phoned Funmi, Dele Giwa's third wife asking for his Office number. Akilu later phoned back to ask for Dele Giwa's house address, the wife asked why he wants to know their address. Akilu told her that he want to stop by to greet them enroute Kano. So she gave the address, this was not abnormal because IBB has always delivered his speech to Dele Giwa through Akilu for publication. When Giwa phoned Akilu to inquire why he has been calling, Akilu told Giwa that he was phoning to tell him that the matter has been resolved and that he has a parcel from the c-in-c ( commander in chief). Giwa told Akilu that the matter is not yet over and that he has contacted his lawyer Gani Fawehinmi to follow up the case. This was through the advice of Dele Giwa's friend, Tony Momoh who was then the minister of communication. Akilu told him not to border about issue anymore.

On 19th October, 1986 when Dele Giwa was with Kayode Soyinka, London bureau chief of NewsWatch when a parcel was delivered to Dele Giwa ( some said through his son, some said through the security guard). The parcel clearly read that it was from the office of the head of state and can only be opened by the addressee. Kayode Soyinka had to excuse himself from Dele Giwa to read his message. As he opened the parcel to read the letter, the parcel bomb exploded injuring him seriously. Dele Giwa was rushed to Murtala Muhammed hospital where he died from the wounds sustained.


OH! THEY GOT ME

That was the exact last word of Dele Giwa in Murtala Muhammed hospital.

Sequel the death of Dele Giwa, his colleague Ray Ekpu confessed that the real reason that A.K Togun interviewed Dele Giwa was because they knew he has the video concerning the plans of IBB. Ekpu said that they were afraid that he was going to publish the original confession from Mamman Vasta before he was executed.

WHO KILLED DELE GIWA
On twenty October, the day after the bombing, the government convened a press conference presided over by Augustus Aikhomu. Before the press conference started, all press photographers, foreign journalists, and Nigerians that worked for foreign news media were ordered out. Those left behind were told that the briefing was "off the record" and Aikhomu would not be entertaining any questions (Wikipedia).

Ismaila Gwarzo and Halilu Akilu was asked to give account of what transpired between them and Dele Giwa. They admitted interviewing him but had no hand in his death. Akilu said that he wanted to visit him to prove the Hausa adage that 'if you visit someone in his home, then you are truly his friend'. Gwarzo said that the assassination was really embrassing and has been described by Tony Momoh as clear case of assassination but a probe into the death of Dele Giwa will serve no useful purpose.

OGUNADE'S SIDE OF THE STORY
According to prof Ogunade, Vasata's boys detailed to him who killed Dele Giwa. His 'informant' told him the parcel was prepared by A.K. Togun and Halilu Akilu and handed over to Buba Muhammad Marwa. Buba Marwa was at that time the Military head of Lagos State and well known 'IBB boy'. Buba Marwa was the one that masterminded the delivery of the parcel and the postal account used for the delivery was also compromised. Buba Marwa was the former Nigerian ambassador to south Africa.

When Buba Marwa wanted to contest for president, Ogunade petitioned Buba Marwa to EFCC. The IPO that investigated the case is the current EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu. Because of the case, Magu was disgraced out of the Nigerian Police Force.

I must say that 34 years after his death, Nigerian government is still 'seriously' investigating the cause of his death. The same way Lagos State government is still investigating the death of Engr Funsho Williams, the same way that they are still investigating death of former minister of Justice , Bola Ige. The same way that Burkina Faso is investigating the coup that took out Thomas Sankara. The same way that Walter Roodney's death is being investigated.

Uzu Chidiebere Uzu

Only God knows

Nice write up op, bu Dele Giwa is actually from Auchi in Edo state, he only grew up in Osun state. Please update your write up.

Waoo!

This real investigative journalism

Nice one. Enjoyed reading every bit. But word up is that Dele was collecting money from the government over a case about a woman not the one written here. He however got too greedy and had to be eliminated.
That is what I heard.
The parcel bomb? Pacel not envelope. Good money would have been kept in a parcel and another reason it was opened in private when another colleague was around.

blackboy:
Nice one. Enjoyed reading every bit. But word up is that Dele was collecting money from the government over a case about a woman not the one written here. He however got too greedy and had to be eliminated.
That is what I heard.
The parcel bomb? Pacel not envelope. Good money would have been kept in a parcel and another reason it was opened in private when another colleague was around.

You mean the case of Grace Okoli in 1985?

huptin:
Nice write up op, bu Dele Giwa is actually from Auchi in Edo state, he only grew up in Osun state. Please update your write up.

Thanks for the correction.

THEY GOT JESUS TOO--THE JEWS.

Paypaylme:


You mean the case of Grace Okoli in 1985?

Gloria Okon

Paypaylme:


Thanks for the correction.

U pm me without any confrontation, what do u want us to discuss ?

How events makes you know how old you were at a certain time in life. I remember the very day this letter bomb killed dele giwa. Back in Adekunle Kuye street in Aguda, it was what all our nwa boys and neighbours were talking about. So I was 5 years then.

Without this singular event, I couldn't tell even after scanning all my memorable life when I was 5 years of age.