A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned hearing to May 27, 2026, in a suit filed by a Lagos-based journalist, Miss Ayomide Eweje, against Ikorodu General Hospital and its Medical Director over the hospital’s refusal to disclose information concerning the handling of the remains of the late Mr Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old journalist who died under controversial circumstances during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests in Lagos.
The suit, commenced under the Freedom of Information Act, was instituted pursuant to Order 34 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, Sections 1(3) and 20 of the FOI Act, and the inherent jurisdiction of the Court. It seeks judicial review of the Respondents’ alleged refusal to grant access to requested records.
When the matter came up for mention on January 22, 2026, before Honourable Justice Chukwujekwu Joseph Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos, Miss Eweje was represented by her counsel, Mr Alimi O. Adamu, while the Hospital and its Medical Director were represented by Titilayo Akinyemi of the Office of the Lagos State Attorney General. Upon the Ayomide’s application for a hearing date, the Court adjourned the matter to May 27, 2026, for hearing.
In her originating process, Miss Eweje, a correspondent with BONews Service, stated that by a letter dated July 31, 2025, she requested certified true copies of documents detailing the receipt, custody, and handling of Mr Onifade’s corpse, as well as the hospital’s mortuary protocols. She contends that the Respondents failed, refused, or neglected to provide the requested information within the statutory period prescribed by law and did not issue any written notice of denial stating the grounds for refusal as required under the FOI Act.
Consequently, she seeks several declaratory and injunctive reliefs, including a declaration that the refusal to disclose the requested information violates her statutory right of access to information under Sections 1(1) and 4(a) & (b) of the FOI Act; a declaration that the failure to issue a written notice of denial amounts to a breach of Sections 4(b) and 7(1)–(3) of the Act; and an order compelling disclosure of the requested records.
The records sought include the mortuary admission register showing when Mr Onifade’s body was received; records relating to the release, transfer, or movement of the body; any autopsy or post-mortem report conducted; records of DNA or forensic samples collected, if any; documentation evidencing the involvement of police or other officials in the release of the corpse; copies of communications with Mr Onifade’s family; and the hospital’s mortuary protocols governing the reception, documentation, and release of corpses.
She also seeks an order directing the Respondents to deposit the requested information with the Court pending determination of the suit, an award of ₦1 million as exemplary and aggravated damages for unlawful denial of access to information, and an order directing the appropriate prosecuting authority to initiate criminal proceedings under Section 7(5) of the FOI Act for wrongful denial of access.
Miss Eweje maintains that the information sought is of overriding public interest, particularly in light of the circumstances surrounding Mr Onifade’s death and the broader concerns regarding accountability in the management of public mortuaries. She contends that the Respondents’ alleged refusal undermines transparency and the statutory framework guaranteeing access to public records.
The matter is now fixed for hearing on May 27, 2026.
