January 14, (THEWILL) — Veteran journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, Yakubu Mohammed, has died at the age of 75, barely two months after the death of his close associate and fellow Newswatch founder, Dan Agbese.
Mohammed co-founded Newswatch in 1984 alongside Agbese, Ray Ekpu and Giwa. He reportedly passed away after battling an undisclosed illness. As at the time of filing this report, no official statement had been released by his family.
Born on April 4, 1950, Mohammed hailed from Ologba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. Mohammed 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, rising to become associate editor and later managing editor. He later joined National Concord, where he served as deputy editor and editor before co-founding Newswatch.
In October 2025, Mohammed published his memoir, Beyond Expectations, in which he chronicled the evolution of Newswatch and reflected on the magazine’s early struggles and triumphs. The book revisited defining moments in its history, including the assassination of founding editor-in-chief Dele Giwa in 1986 and the subsequent battle for control of the magazine.
At Newswatch, Mohammed held several leadership roles, including executive editor, managing editor and deputy chief executive officer, playing a central role in shaping both the editorial and corporate direction of the magazine.
Beyond journalism, he served as a director at Yadara Nigeria Limited and Lastop Limited. He was a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and also served as pro-chancellor and chancellor of the governing council of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
His passing marks another major loss to Nigeria’s media landscape and the founding generation of Newswatch, a publication that redefined investigative journalism during the country’s military era. Agbese had died on November 17, 2025, following a prolonged illness.
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