Yakubu Mohammed, co-founder of Newswatch magazine and former deputy chief executive officer of the publication, has died at the age of 75
He reportedly passed away after battling an undisclosed illness. As at the time of this report, his family had not released an official statement confirming the circumstances of his death.
Mohammed’s passing comes barely two months after the death of his longtime associate and fellow Newswatch co-founder, Dan Agbese, who died on November 17, 2025, following a prolonged illness.
In October 2025, Mohammed released his memoir, Beyond Expectations, where he documented the growth of Newswatch and reflected on the magazine’s early years. The book revisited pivotal moments in the publication’s history, including the aftermath of the 1986 assassination of founding editor-in-chief Dele Giwa and the intense struggle that followed over the control of the magazine.
Mohammed co-founded Newswatch in 1984 alongside Agbese, Ray Ekpu and Dele Giwa, helping to build the magazine into a major force in investigative journalism during Nigeria’s military era. His death marks another significant loss from the publication’s founding generation.
Born on April 4, 1950, Mohammed was from Ologba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. He attended St Joseph’s Primary School, Ayangba; Government Secondary School, Okene; the University of Lagos; and the Glasgow College of Technology in Scotland.
He began his journalism career at New Nigerian Newspapers, where he worked as associate editor and later managing editor. He subsequently joined National Concord, rising from deputy editor to editor, before co-founding Newswatch.
During his time at Newswatch, Mohammed served in several leadership roles, including executive editor, managing editor and deputy chief executive officer of Newswatch Communications Limited.
Outside journalism, he was a director at Yadara Nigeria Limited and Lastop Limited, and held memberships in the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association and the Nigerian Guild of Editors. He also served as pro-chancellor and later chancellor of the governing council of Ahmadu Bello University.
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