- Pelumi Onifade Inquest: Coroner Demands Autopsy, DNA Results Within 21 Days
- Adamu noted that LASUTH had earlier informed the court that the body tagged No. 1385 was among six bodies transferred to the IDH
- Onifade was a journalist with Gboah TV, was reportedly shot and arrested while covering the #EndSARS protests
The Coroner’s Court investigating the death of journalist Pelumi Onifade has ordered the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre to submit critical reports that could help determine the identity and cause of death of a body believed to be that of the late reporter.
Eko Hot Blog reports that at the resumed hearing of the inquest, the investigating magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, directed the Chief Medical Examiner of LASUTH to forward within 21 days the autopsy report of an unidentified body tagged No. 1385, which is suspected to be that of Onifade.
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The court also ordered the Director of the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre to submit within the same period the DNA analysis result conducted on samples collected from the body and reference samples obtained from Onifade’s parents.
Onifade, a journalist with Gboah TV, was reportedly shot and arrested while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020. His body was later discovered at the Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary after he had been declared missing.
The inquest followed a judgment delivered by Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos on July 19, 2024, in a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda (MRA). The court ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Onifade’s death and directed that a coroner’s inquest be conducted to establish the cause of death and identify those responsible.
During the proceedings, counsel to the deceased’s family and MRA, Alimi Adamu, urged the court to compel LASUTH to produce the autopsy report and direct the DNA and Forensic Centre to release the results of tests conducted on samples taken from the unidentified body and family members.
Adamu noted that LASUTH had earlier informed the court that the body tagged No. 1385 was among six bodies transferred to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba Mortuary for storage and that an autopsy had already been conducted.
According to him, LASUTH also confirmed that DNA samples collected from the body, alongside reference samples from relatives of missing persons linked to the #EndSARS protests, were forwarded to the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre for analysis.
Although the coroner initially raised concerns about the operational status of the forensic centre following reports that its facility was damaged during the #EndSARS unrest, Adamu informed the court that the centre remains functional and currently operates from Broad Street, Lagos.
Ruling on the applications, Oladele held that LASUTH should submit the autopsy report for body No. 1385 within 21 days. She also ordered the DNA and Forensic Centre to provide the DNA test results relating to the same body within the stipulated period.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until June 23, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
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