A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned until July 16, 2026, a suit filed by a Lagos-based journalist, Miss Ayomide Eweje, against Ikorodu General Hospital and its Medical Director over the hospital’s failure to disclose information concerning the handling of the remains of Mr. Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old journalist who died under controversial circumstances during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
The suit, commenced pursuant to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011, was instituted under 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 hospital’s alleged refusal to grant the journalists access to the records that she requested.
The matter was previously scheduled for hearing on May 27, 2026, before Justice Chukwujekwu Joseph Aneke of the Federal High Court, Lagos. However, proceedings could not take place as scheduled because the date was declared a public holiday. Consequently, the Court adjourned the matter to July 16, 2026.
Earlier, when the matter came up for mention on January 22, 2026, Miss Eweje was represented by her counsel, Mr. Alimi Adamu, while the hospital and its Medical Director were represented by Ms Titilayo Akinyemi, a counsel in the Office of the Lagos State Attorney General. Upon the Applicant’s request for a hearing date, the Court had fixed 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 claimed that the hospital 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 is seeking several declaratory and injunctive reliefs, including a declaration that the hospital’s refusal to disclose the requested information violates her statutory right of access to information under Sections 1(1) and 4(a) and (b) of the FOI Act; a declaration that the hospital’s 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 requested by the journalist 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.
Miss Eweje is also asking the Court to make an order directing the hospital to deposit the requested information with the Court pending determination of the suit, an award of ₦1 million as exemplary and aggravated damages for the alleged 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 argued that the information she is seeking from the hospital 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 is contending that the hospital’s alleged refusal to provide her with the information she requested undermines transparency and the statutory framework guaranteeing access to public records.
The matter is now fixed for mention on July 16, 2026.
