Eye witness to horror: Seconds before the blast that killed Dele Giwa – Kayode Soyinka

Transcript of a BBC report and interview with Kayode Soyinka, ex-Newswatch’s London Bureau Chief, who was with late Dele Giwa, at the time the parcel bomb exploded.
kayode-Soyinka-1In October 1986, during the military rule in Nigeria, a campaigning Nigerian Journalist and Editor, Dele Giwa was assassinated at his home in Lagos
Nigeria is reported to be calm tonight, despite another military coup; the sixth in the past 25 years
The mid 1980s, Nigeria was under military rule. But there was a change at the top; In 1985, Gen. Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida known as IBB, had taken power for himself. “This administration attaches the greatest importance to constructive and helpful criticisms, as well as the freedom of the press, and to declare further that the administration also attaches the greatest importance to fundamental human rights”
That same year, a new Nigerian news magazine hit the streets, called Newswatch. It was a campaigning investigative magazine which exposed corruption scandals and abuses of power. “We fought against military rule, because we didn’t want to be ruled by soldiers”.
Kayode Soyinka was news watches London bureau chief. “Nigerian people expected us to fight for them when it comes to their human rights”
Newswatch being formed by some of the leading lights of the Nigerian newspaper scene, Ray Ekpu, Yakubu Mohammed, Dan Agbese and above all, its editor-in-chief, famous Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa.
“Dele Giwa was very jovial, he was an extrovert. Not a tall man; stocky, light in complexion, fantastic guy. We became very good family friends. He liked the good things of life. He loved his…, he would dance to diamonds on the soles of shoes. He got the Cd and we were playing that Cd from the beginning to the end; he would dance to it anytime”
But being a journalist in Nigeria in the 1980s carried certain risks. “They intimidated journalists with al sort of things; if you are not in detention or your newspaper hasn’t been closed down, really you are not in big time journalism in Nigeria. But we have never had a case of a Journalist being deliberately killed”
One day in October 1986, Nigeria’s internal security service, the SSS called on Dele Giwa. “He had been invited to the security place, was questioned by the SSS, they came up with this reason that they suspected that he was trying to import arms into the country which was nonsense, really. And he left that meeting, but they then suspected that there was something in the…..”
To be accused of a press law violation was one thing, to be accused of importing arms seemed to be the kind of accusation that carried a whole new level of threat. Shortly after the interrogation, Kayode flew into Lagos from London and stayed at Dele’s house. “We went straight to the study, he was narrating to me, the ordeal of that interview with the SSS”.
Q: Did he come across as genuinely worried?
A: Yes he was worried, he was absolutely worried, I mean I know Dele very well. He is not easily worried by things. Let me tell you something, one close friend of ours also joined us; Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi. At one point, Dele looked at Yemi Ogunbiyi and told him that if something happened to him, “You, Yemi, you will take care of my children”.
Dele Giwa4Then on Saturday, when Dele was out, his wife took a series of phone calls from an unexpected source. “The head of the military Intelligence in Nigeria was Calling the house, trying to find out some information about where the house was and how to get to the house. He was travelling out of Lagos and he wanted to stop by on his way to the airport or something like that”.
The next morning, Dele said he had called the intelligence officer who had made the mysterious calls; the matter was resolved. So Kayode and Dele sat down for breakfast. “We were having breakfast of what we call Akara, made out of beans, fried. I told Funmilayo, the wife, I would rather have the akara with what we call Garri. So she went back to the kitchen. It was that moment Dele’s son, Billy brought in a parcel and handed it over to his father and then left the room”
The parcel had been dropped off at the front gate, handed to the guard and passed on to Dele’s Son. In the study, Dele now handed Kayode the package.
Q:What did it look like?
A: Like an A4 padded envelope, bulky. It’s like somebody sending a book, you know, hardcopy for review. It was addressed to Chief Dele Giwa, but Dele was not a chief. And then on the top, left hand corner I believe, there was an inscription that it was from the cabinet office. I handed over the parcel to him. When he got it back from me, he adjusted the chair and was facing the window and tried to open it from the left hand corner of the envelope and I think he only tore it slightly when the explosion, powerful explosion and the big ball of fire.
Q:You were sitting…
A:Right opposite him, it was an L shaped desk, solid, mahogany built desk. The force hit Dele by his thighs and his chest, that was why he sustained so much damage. The force that came towards my direction was absorbed largely by the bottom panel of that mahogany desk. But it was still powerful enough to lift me off that chair, and by the time I landed, I landed by the door, momentarily unconscious, my glasses were off. I regained consciousness and staggered out of the wreckage.
Hearing the blast, Dele’s family ran towards the room. Neighbors came too. “When most people saw Dele on the floor, they too panicked. Admirably, the only person that was able to gather herself together was Dele’s wife, Funmilayo. She was the one who was able to organize people and then some of us now helped to drag Dele out of the rubble, and we had to be very delicate”

Dele Giwa;s mangled body
Dele Giwa;s mangled body

Dele Giwa
Kayode, still on his night dress, had somehow escaped serious injuries. “We had some splashes of blood on the nightie, and on my forehead, my ear, I had some burns. And of course I was smelling. I was taken to the hospital because I was not in good shape. So when I got to the hospital, I saw Funmilayo, Dele Giwa’s wife at the front door. She said Dele was inside. So I went straight inside and I saw Dele on the stretcher. I saw the nurses and the doctor around him. I asked the first question; “Is he breathing?” and nobody was saying anything. I asked again; “is he breathing?” and they said “No, he passed on a few minutes ago”.
In the aftermath of the bombing, the government promised an enquiry, but it never materialized. To this day, no one has been convicted of carrying out the attack, nor is it clear who wanted to kill Dele Giwa or why. But there are many theories and most point to Nigerian military regime. “Who else will have had the capacity to do such a thing, especially in the Nigeria of that time? You know we are only doing our job. Why do you have to take the life of a fellow human being? Dele Giwa is definitely a prince of press freedom in this country. Nigerian people will never forget Dele Giwa. They respect him. He is a national hero”

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