‘I hope I won’t die’ – Doctor recounts Dele Giwa’s final moments

By Damilola Akinwale

The family and close associates of the late investigative journalist, Dele Giwa, have recounted his final moments, 40 years after his assassination, while reflecting on his enduring legacy in Nigerian journalism.

Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb that exploded at his residence in Ikeja, Lagos, on October 19, 1986. Despite efforts to save his life, he succumbed to his injuries hours after the blast. On Monday, family members, colleagues and associates gathered at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, to commemorate his legacy and launch a book titled Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism.

Speaking at the event, Dokun Adedeji, the medical doctor who treated Giwa, recalled that the journalist remained hopeful of surviving despite the severity of his injuries.

“It was about 12:30 on Sunday afternoon when a company bus was driven into First Foundation Medical Centre, Opebi, Ikeja. I was the doctor on duty for the weekend. I saw people running, saying that they brought Dele Giwa. What I saw, I have never seen again in my practice. He was shattered. His two limbs were open, and he was bleeding. But he was still talking,” Adedeji recalled.

He said Giwa asked whether he would die, adding that he could not bring himself to tell the journalist that his injuries were fatal. According to him, Giwa remained optimistic, insisting, “Dokun, I will not die, I will survive it.”

Adedeji said Giwa died around 1 p.m., adding that the experience haunted him for years. “His blood was on my clothes and my shoes. I hung them for five years in the corner of my room, so that every time I saw them, I would remember,” he said. He described Giwa as more than a patient, saying they shared a brotherly relationship.

The doctor added that Giwa repeatedly asked about his wife, Funmi, and youngest daughter, Aisha, who had crawled into the dining area after the parcel bomb exploded.

Also recounting the incident, Nosa Igiebor of Newswatch magazine said he was preparing for a 1 p.m. editorial meeting when he received an emergency call from Kayode Soyinka. He recalled visiting Giwa’s residence, where he saw blood splattered across the journalist’s study and his kneecap resting against a wall, before proceeding to the hospital, where he learnt of his death.

Igiebor condemned the gruesome killing and disclosed that Soyinka, who narrowly escaped the blast but sustained injuries, continued to suffer trauma from the incident. Paying tribute to Giwa, he said: “For me, Dele cannot die. He was an enigma, journalism personified. He was the voice for journalism.”