The coroner’s inquest into the death of Mr Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old journalist with Gboah TV who died during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020, has been further adjourned to July 8, 2025, for mention.
The inquiry, presided over by the District Coroner, Mrs T.R.A. Oladele, was convened in compliance with the judgment of Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, delivered on July 19, 2024, in which he directed the Attorney-General of Lagos State to initiate a coroner’s inquest to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr Onifade’s death, determine the cause, and identify those responsible.
At the hearing on February 21, 2025, the coroner reiterated her directive to the Office of the Attorney-General to liaise with relevant institutions, including the DNA Test Centre and the Pathology Department at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Gboah TV, the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Other Special Offences, the Ikorodu General Hospital, and the Yaba General Hospital to gather vital information regarding the recovery, identification, and cause of death of Mr Onifade.
However, the scheduled sitting on March 18, 2025, could not proceed as the court registrar informed parties present that the coroner remained on maternity leave. It was also revealed that the pathologist, a key witness, was unavailable; as a result, Mr Onifade’s case and other matters listed for the day requiring the pathologist’s testimony were adjourned to April 11, 2025.
However, the sitting could not be held on April 11 as the coroner could not come to court due to some critical personal reasons.
At the next scheduled date of May 16, 2025, Mr Adebola Araba appeared for the Office of the Attorney-General of Lagos State, while Mr J. Agbakagba and Mr Monday U. Arunsi represented the family of the deceased and Media Rights Agenda (MRA), respectively. Unfortunately, the matter could not proceed again as the Attorney-General’s office had not yet complied with the coroner’s earlier directives.
In light of the continued non-compliance, the inquest was adjourned to June 6, 2025, for mention. The coroner once again directed the Office of the Attorney-General of Lagos State to ensure full compliance with her instructions before the next adjourned date. When the inquest came up again on June 20, 2025, the matter could not proceed, as the Attorney-General’s office had yet to comply with the coroner’s earlier directives. Mr Araba informed the Court that he had not written to the relevant institutions as instructed, explaining that the last adjourned date fell on a public holiday and that he was unaware the matter was listed for mention on that day. Given this, the coroner granted his application for an adjournment and adjourned the inquest to July 8, 2025, for mention.
