Co-founder of Newswatch magazine and its former deputy chief executive officer, Yakubu Mohammed, has passed away at the age of 75.
Reports indicated that he had been battling an undisclosed illness prior to his death. As of press time, the family had yet to issue an official statement.
His passing comes just two months after the death of his long-time colleague and fellow Newswatch co-founder, Dan Agbese, who succumbed to a prolonged illness on November 17, 2025.
In October 2025, Mohammed released his memoir, Beyond Expectations, which traced the history of Newswatch and offered personal reflections on the magazine’s formative years.
The book revisited key moments in the publication’s journey, including the controversy surrounding the 1986 assassination of founding editor-in-chief Dele Giwa and the ensuing struggle for control of the influential magazine.
Alongside Agbese, Ray Ekpu, and Dele Giwa, Mohammed founded Newswatch in 1984, establishing it as a leading voice in investigative journalism during Nigeria’s military era. His death represents a further loss to the magazine’s founding generation.
Born on April 4, 1950, in Ologba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mohammed attended St Joseph’s Primary School, Ayangba, in 1964; Government Secondary School, Okene, from 1965 to 1969; the University of Lagos between 1972 and 1975; and Glasgow College of Technology in Scotland from 1978 to 1979.
Mohammed began his journalism career at New Nigerian Newspapers, serving as associate editor from 1976 to 1980 and managing editor in 1980. He later joined National Concord as deputy editor from 1980 to 1982 before rising to editor between 1982 and 1984.
At Newswatch, he held multiple leadership roles: co-founder and executive editor from 1984 to 1986, managing editor from 1986 to 1994, and deputy chief executive officer of Newswatch Communications Limited from 1994.
Beyond journalism, Mohammed was a director at Yadara Nigeria Limited and Lastop Limited. He was also an active member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
The veteran journalist further contributed to academia, serving as pro-chancellor and chancellor of the governing council of Ahmadu Bello University.
