Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF) to resume the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 1986 murder of Dele Giwa, the renowned investigative journalist and founder of Newswatch Magazine.
Dele Giwa was brutally murdered in his Lagos home on October 19, 1986, through a letter bomb during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, presiding over the case, emphasised that the AGF is obligated to ensure that the killers of media practitioners, including Giwa, are prosecuted and penalised according to the law.
The judgment further mandated the investigation and prosecution of individuals involved in the killing of other journalists, who had been targeted while performing their lawful duties.
The suit was brought before the court by the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), seeking the enforcement of the fundamental rights of media practitioners to safety, as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and African Charters on Human Rights.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo stressed the importance of safeguarding the lives of journalists, citing Sections 33, 39 of the Constitution, and Articles 4 and 9 of the African Charters on Human and Peoples Rights.
