Dimgba Igwe, a veteran Nigerian journalist and media administrator, was killed earlier today by a hit-and-run driver near his residence in the Okota area of Lagos, Lagos State. He was 58 years old.
Mr. Igwe, who was a former deputy-managing director of the Sun newspaper group, was hit and killed as he jogged in his neighborhood, a friend to the Igwe family told SaharaReporters.
Mr. Igwe first emerged in the early 1980s as a strong voice in Nigerian journalism when he worked with the Concord newspaper group owned by the late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola. Mr. Igwe wrote a highly regarded column that focused on political and literary issues. He rose to fame as a co-editor of the groundbreaking Weekly Concord, with his longtime friend and collaborator, Mike Awoyinfa.
Mr. Igwe and Mr. Awoyinfa teamed up again as founding deputy managing director and managing director of the Sun newspaper group owned by former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. He and Mr. Awoyinfa were removed four years ago and teamed up to found Entertainment Express. Until his death, Mr. Igwe continued to write a back page column for the Sun that appeared every Tuesday.
Former Governor Kalu described Mr. Igwe’s death as the darkest day in the history of the Sun newspaper.