By KADIRI ABDULRAHMAN

Veteran journalist and one of the founders of Nigeria’s first weekly news magazine, Newswatch, Yakubu Mohammed, says the assassination of Dele Giwa in 1986 had nothing to do with the late Gloria Okon.

Mohammed, who co-founded Newswatch with Giwa, Ray Ekpu and Dan Agbese in 1984, said this in his memoir, “Beyond Expectations.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Giwa, one of Nigeria’s most flamboyant journalists, was assassinated on Oct. 19, 1986, after a parcel bomb was delivered to his house in Lagos.

After the incident, the rumour mill was agog with the conspiracy theory that Giwa had a scoop on Okon who had been arrested at the Aminu Kano Airport for trafficking in drugs.

The said Okon was later reported dead by the authorities.

The rumour, however, persisted that she had been released secretly and was living large in London.

Mohammed wrote: “Was Dele Giwa doing a story on Gloria Okon? And did he interview her in London and the tapes of the interview along with pictures brought to Lagos by Kayode (Soyinka)?

“In discussing these theories, I am mindful of the fact that I am accountable to only God, my creator.”

He stressed that the magazine was not planning to do any story on Okon.

“Not by any of our reporters, not by any of the editors and not by any of the directors – Dele, Ray, Dan and Yakubu,” he said.

According to him, the Okon story idea was suggested by Bose Lasaki, a relatively new member of staff who was determined to learn the ropes, only to discover that it was a ruse.

“One day at the general editorial conference, she said she had a story idea.

“She muttered some words to the effect that there was a rumour that the drug courier that was arrested in Kano and reported dead did not die.

“Her colleagues laughed at her suggestion and she appeared visibly embarrassed.

“Dan who conducted the meeting advised her to do more work on the idea.

“When she reported back the following week, she admitted that there was nothing to the story. And that was the end of the story,” he said.

Mohammed said that Giwa and Ekpu were not in any of the editorial meetings and knew nothing about the Okon “fable.”

According to him, until the tragic death of Giwa, nobody heard anything again about Okon.

“But she came alive as possible reason why Dele Giwa was killed.

“Dele was said to have travelled to London some weeks before his death and interviewed Gloria Okon.

“The fact is that Dele Giwa did not meet any Gloria Okon on the trip in question.

“I know this for sure because I travelled with him to London,” he said. (NAN)