Senator Ita-Giwa Recalls the Horror of Dele Giwa’s Remains

​In a moving reflection that bridged decades of grief, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has revisited the harrowing moment she stood in a cold mortuary to identify the “shattered pieces” of her ex-husband, the legendary investigative journalist Dele Giwa.

​Speaking during a recent interview on Arise TV, the stateswoman and socialite, popularly known as “Mama Bakassi,” provided a visceral account of the aftermath of Nigeria’s first-ever parcel bomb assassination. Her testimony serves as a haunting reminder of the high price paid by those who dared to speak truth to power during the nation’s military era.

​A Sight Beyond Human Endurance

​Ita-Giwa recounted the somber journey to the mortuary, a task she undertook alongside two iconic figures of Nigerian history: veteran journalist and former governor Segun Osoba, and the late “People’s Lawyer,” Gani Fawehinmi.

ADVERTISEMENT

​The Senator’s voice carried the weight of a trauma that time has failed to erase. “We were taken into the mortuary… and I saw this human being lying in pieces,” she shared. Confronted with the physical devastation caused by the explosion, she questioned the limits of human resilience: “How much can a human being take? I took all of that in.”

​The Man Behind the Legend

​Beyond the gruesome details of his demise, Ita-Giwa spoke with profound admiration for the intellect and audacity that defined Dele Giwa’s life. As the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, Giwa revolutionized Nigerian journalism with a fearless, investigative style that often unsettled the ruling elite.

​For Ita-Giwa, the loss was not just personal but national. She described him as a man of extraordinary courage and spirit—qualities that made the sight of his broken body even more unfathomable.

​An Unsolved Chapter in History

​Dele Giwa was killed on October 19, 1986, at his home in Ikeja, Lagos, while having breakfast with his colleague Kayode Soyinka. The delivery of a parcel marked “From the Office of the C-in-C” triggered a blast that shook the foundation of the Nigerian press.

​Despite decades of advocacy by legal luminaries like Gani Fawehinmi, the masterminds behind the assassination have never been officially brought to justice. Ita-Giwa’s recent reflections reignite a conversation about accountability and the enduring scars of Nigeria’s political history.