Yakubu Mohammed, a co-founder of Newswatch magazine and its former deputy chief executive officer, has died at the age of 75.
He was reported to have been battling an undisclosed ailment prior to his death.
His passing also comes just two months after the death of his longtime colleague and fellow co-founder, Dan Agbese, who succumbed to a prolonged illness on November 17, 2025.
In October 2025, Mohammed released his memoir, Beyond Expectations, which offers valuable insights into the history of Newswatch. The book details key events, including the controversy surrounding the 1986 assassination of founding editor-in-chief Dele Giwa and the subsequent battles over control of the influential publication.
Mohammed, alongside Agbese, Ray Ekpu, and Dele Giwa, launched Newswatch in 1984, establishing it as a trailblazing voice in Nigerian investigative journalism. His death marks another significant loss for the magazine’s founding generation.
Born on April 4, 1950, Mohammed hailed from Ologba in 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.
At Newswatch, Mohammed served as 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.
Beyond 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 chancellor of the governing council of Ahmadu Bello University.
