Veteran journalist and media administrator Yakubu Mohammed, a co-founder of the legendary Newswatch magazine, has passed away at the age of 75. The revered media practitioner reportedly died following a battle with an undisclosed ailment, marking the end of an era for one of Nigeria’s most influential journalistic quartets.
Okay News reports that Mohammed’s death comes just two months after the passing of his long-time friend and fellow Newswatch co-founder, Dan Agbese, who died in November 2025. Together with Ray Ekpu and the late Dele Giwa, they founded Newswatch in 1984, redefining investigative journalism in Nigeria during the military era.
In October 2025, mere months before his death, Mohammed published his memoir, Beyond Expectations. The book chronicled the turbulent history of the magazine, offering fresh insights into the 1986 assassination of founding editor-in-chief Dele Giwa and the internal struggles that followed.
Born in Kogi State in 1950, Mohammed had a stellar career that began at the New Nigerian Newspapers and National Concord before the historic founding of Newswatch. Beyond his work in the newsroom, he served as a director at several companies and held the prestigious position of Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
