The International Press Centre (IPC) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police Force to reopen investigations into the assassination of Dele Giwa, founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, 40 years after his death.

Giwa was killed on October 19, 1986, at his home in Lagos by a parcel bomb at the age of 39. Four decades later, no one has been held criminally accountable for his murder.

The Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub of the IPC made the call in a statement issued on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the journalist's assassination.

The organisation described the continued failure to resolve the case as an indictment of Nigeria's commitment to justice, accountability and the protection of journalists.

Giwa, who was also the Sunday Editor of National Concord newspaper, was known for his commitment to investigative journalism and his contribution to strengthening the media's role in holding those in power accountable.

The Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, said Giwa's assassination was not merely a personal tragedy for his family, colleagues and friends but also an attack on press freedom.

He said the killing challenged the fundamental principle that journalists should be able to investigate, question authority and report in the public interest without fear of violence or intimidation.

Arogundade said the 40-year delay in securing justice was unacceptable, stressing that the passage of time should not be used as an excuse to abandon the search for truth.

“Forty years without justice is far too long. Silence cannot substitute for accountability, and the passage of time must not become an excuse for abandoning the pursuit of truth,” he said.

He also questioned the implications of leaving the case unresolved for Nigeria's democratic and human rights record, warning that the failure to bring the investigation to a credible conclusion could undermine public confidence in institutions responsible for upholding the law.

The IPC-SPJ Hub urged the Federal Government, the police and relevant investigative and prosecutorial authorities to conduct a credible and independent investigation into Giwa's assassination, drawing on available evidence, historical records and previous investigative findings.

The organisation also called for investigations into other unresolved killings of journalists in Nigeria.

Those listed include Bayo Ohu of The Guardian, killed on September 20, 2009; Nathan S. Dabak and Sunday Gyang Bwede of The Light Bearer, killed on April 24, 2010; and Zakariya Isa of the Nigerian Television Authority, killed on October 22, 2011.

Others are Enenche Akogwu of Channels Television, killed on January 20, 2012; Maxwell Nashan of the Federal Radio Corporation, killed on January 15, 2020; Alex Ogbu of The Regent Africa Time Magazine, killed on January 21, 2020; and Emmanuel Adeyemi of The Sun, killed on October 26, 2020.

The organisation also cited the killings of Titus Badejo of Naija FM on June 19, 2021, and Tordue Salem of Vanguard newspaper on November 11, 2021.

Beyond seeking justice for the slain journalists, the IPC-SPJ Hub called for stronger measures to protect media practitioners and safeguard press freedom.

It said Giwa's legacy should not be reduced to annual commemorations and tributes but should inspire concrete action to ensure journalists can perform their professional duties without fear of violence or intimidation.

The organisation maintained that Nigeria could not credibly celebrate press freedom while leaving one of its most notorious attacks on a journalist unresolved for four decades.