Federal Government has asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja for an extension of time to file an appeal against a Federal High Court ruling that ordered the reopening of an investigation into the 1986 murder of journalist Dele Giwa.
Gatekeepers News reports that the government filed the motion because the 90‑day legal window for lodging an appeal had expired, prompting lawyers acting for the Attorney‑General of the Federation (AGF) to request additional time from the appellate court.
The original judgment was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on February 16, 2024, in a suit brought by the Incorporated Trustees of the Media Rights Agenda (MRA). That ruling directed the government to reopen the probe and prosecution into Giwa’s killing and similar cases involving other murdered journalists.
Dele Giwa, who founded Newswatch Magazine, was killed by a parcel bomb at his Ikeja home on October 19, 1986, in an attack that has remained controversial and unresolved for decades.
The suit also listed other media practitioners who were murdered while carrying out their duties, including Bolade Fasisi of the National Association of Women Journalists, Edward Olalekan of Daily Times, Omololu Falobi of The Punch, Godwin Agbroko of ThisDay, Abayomi Ogundeji of ThisDay, and Edo Sule‑Ugbagwu of The Nation.
In the motion, filed on December 23, 2025, by counsel A.B. Mohammed on behalf of the Attorney‑General, the government said it had prepared a Notice and Grounds of Appeal but needed additional time to proceed with the appeal.
The supporting affidavit was sworn by Kelechi Ohaeri, a litigation officer in the Federal Ministry of Justice, who said the appeal was needed in the interest of justice.
The case has drawn attention to long‑standing calls by rights groups for greater accountability and protection for journalists in Nigeria. Legal experts note that under Nigerian law, parties may request an extension of time to appeal if they can show good reason for missing the original deadline.
No date has yet been fixed for the hearing of the extension motion before the Court of Appeal, leaving the future of the Giwa murder investigation order pending while the legal process continues.
