A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi to re-open the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 1986 murder of the founder of Newswatch Magazine, Dele Giwa.
Justice Inyang Ekwo in his judgment, argued that the AGF was under obligation to prosecute and penalize killers of media practitioners in the country.
Dele Giwa was killed on October 19, 1986, in his Lagos office through a letter bomb.
The court also ordered that the killings of other journalists must be investigated, with perpetrators brought to book in line with the provisions of the law.
The court also ordered the Federal Government to ensure adequate protection and safety of the lives of journalists as enshrined in sections 33, 39 of the Constitution and Articles 4 and 9 of the African Charters on Human and Peoples Rights
The Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda, MRA, had instituted a suit against the AGF before the court for the enforcement of fundamental rights of media practitioners to safety as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and African Charters on Human Rights.
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