A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice (AGF) to reopen the investigation and prosecution of those who murdered Dele Giwa, the founder of Newswatch Magazine, in 1986.
Dele Giwa was assassinated on October 19, 1986, in his Lagos office by a letter bomb.
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo ruled on Friday in a suit against the AGF that the Federation’s Chief Law Officer is required to prosecute and penalize killers of media practitioners in the country.
Apart from Dele Giwa, the court ordered that the killings of other journalists while performing their authorized jobs be examined and offenders prosecuted in accordance with the terms of the law.
The Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, has taken the AGF to court to protect media practitioners’ fundamental right to safety, which is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and African Human Rights Charter.
In the verdict, Justice Ekwo directed the Federal Government to ensure proper security and safety of journalists’ lives, as enshrined in sections 33, 39 of the Constitution and Articles 4 and 9 of the African Charters on Human and Peoples Rights.
Details will be provided later.