Yakubu Mohammed, a co-founder of Newswatch magazine and its former deputy chief executive officer, has died at the age of 75.
He was said to have been battling an undisclosed illness before his passing.
At the time of filing this report, the family had yet to issue an official statement.
Mohammed’s death comes barely two months after the demise of his close associate and fellow Newswatch co-founder, Dan Agbese, who died on 17 November 2025, after a prolonged illness.
In October 2025, Mohammed published his memoir, Beyond Expectations, which documented the history of Newswatch and provided personal reflections on the magazine’s early years.
The book revisited key milestones in the publication’s evolution, including the controversy surrounding the 1986 assassination of its founding editor-in-chief, Dele Giwa, and the subsequent struggle for control of the influential magazine.
Mohammed founded Newswatch in 1984 alongside Agbese, Ray Ekpu, and Dele Giwa, helping to position it as a leading force in investigative journalism during Nigeria’s military era. His passing represents another major loss to the magazine’s founding generation.
Born on April 4, 1950, Mohammed was from Ologba in the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He attended St. Joseph’s Primary School, Ayangba, in 1964, Government Secondary School, Okene, between 1965 and 1969, the University of Lagos from 1972 to 1975, and the Glasgow College of Technology in Scotland between 1978 and 1979.
He began his journalism career at the New Nigerian Newspapers, where he served as associate editor from 1976 to 1980 and managing editor in 1980.
He later moved to National Concord, serving as deputy editor from 1980 to 1982 and editor from 1982 to 1984.
At Newswatch, Mohammed was co-founder and executive editor between 1984 and 1986, managing editor from 1986 to 1994, and deputy chief executive officer of Newswatch Communications Limited from 1994.
Outside journalism, he was a director at Yadara Nigeria Limited and Lastop Limited.
He was also a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
The veteran journalist also served as pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of Ahmadu Bello University.
