Dokun Adedeji, the medical doctor who attended to Dele Giwa at the hospital on the day of his assassination, has publicly disclosed the journalist's final words, nearly four decades after his death. The revelation came on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) in Lagos, during the launch of a book titled Dele Giwa's Granite Journalism.
Doctor Recounts the Final Moments
Adedeji, who was the doctor on duty that weekend, said a company bus arrived at First Foundation Medical Centre in Opebi, Ikeja, around 12:30 pm carrying the injured journalist. "I saw people running, saying, 'they brought Dele Giwa,'" he recalled. "What I saw, I have never seen again since in my practice. He was shattered. His two limbs were open, and he was bleeding."
Despite the severity of his wounds, Giwa was still conscious when he arrived. "He said, 'Dokun, se mi o ni ku sha? (I hope I will not die?).' I said, 'I don't know,'" Adedeji recounted. The doctor said Giwa did not want to die and appeared determined to pull through, but added that survival would likely have been impossible given the extent of the injuries. Giwa died around 1 pm.
Giwa's Concern for Family
Throughout his time at the hospital, Giwa repeatedly asked about his wife, Funmi, and his youngest daughter, Aisha, who had crawled into the dining area after the explosion. "How is Aisha? Do you know anything about Aisha?" he asked, according to the doctor. Adedeji said he kept the blood-stained clothes and shoes he wore that day for five years as a reminder of what had happened.
The event was organised by alumni of Newswatch Magazine to honour the late journalist, whose writings for Daily Times, Sunday Concord, and Newswatch are compiled in the volume. Giwa was killed on October 19, 1986, when a parcel bomb detonated at his home in Ikeja, Lagos, during the military administration of Ibrahim Babangida.
Events Leading to the Attack
Giwa was 39 years old when he was killed. He had built a reputation as a fearless investigative journalist whose work consistently scrutinised those in power. His death came two days after he appeared at the State Security Service (SSS) headquarters on October 16, 1986. He had been questioned over an allegation that he was heard discussing arms importation.
He had also written a piece on the Central Bank of Nigeria's second-tier foreign exchange market (SFEM) policy, warning that if the policy failed, people would stone "their leaders in the streets." On October 18, Halilu Akilu of the then-Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) called Giwa's home and asked his wife for directions, saying he planned to stop by. The following morning, Akilu called again and told Giwa the matter had been resolved. Shortly after, a package was delivered to the journalist's residence.
Newswatch's London bureau chief, Kayode Soyinka, who was with Giwa at the time, narrowly escaped the blast after stepping away to use the restroom. Giwa would have turned 79 this year.
Babangida's Denial
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that former military president Ibrahim Babangida refuted allegations linking him to the 1986 assassination of Dele Giwa, blaming media sensationalism for obstructing the investigation. Giwa, a critic of Babangida's regime, was accused of plotting a socialist revolution before receiving a parcel bomb at his home. Babangida, in his autobiography, maintained that the case remains unsolved and expressed hope that the truth would eventually be uncovered.
