The reason, according to LASUTH, was because all DNA samples held at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre located in its premises were destroyed when the Centre was burnt down during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

But Mr. Alimi Adamu, the lead counsel to Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which applied for the coroner’s inquest, disputed the claim saying the explanation offered by LASUTH contained a fundamental inconsistency as official records showed that the DNA Centre was burnt on October 23, 2020, before the death of Mr. Onifade on October 24, 2020 and as such, the DNA samples collected from his parents could not have been among those destroyed.

Noting that the collection of DNA samples from members of the late Onifade’s family was carried out many days after his death, he argued that the DNA samples could therefore not have been destroyed when the Centre was burnt on October 23, before Onifade died.

The repeated failure of LASUTH to comply with the orders of the investigating magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, to produce “a comprehensive and specific report” on the unidentified body believed to be that of the late Onifade’s stalled progress for nearly five months in the inquiry into the death of the young journalist with Gboah TV.

He was reportedly shot by the Police while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020.

The order, first made on November 18, 2025, directing LASUTH to produce a report on the body tagged 1385, on which it was said to have conducted a post-mortem examination in November 2020, is part of the ongoing efforts to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Mr Onifade.

At the last session of the inquest on March 24, 2026, the Coroner refused Mr. Adamu’s application for committal proceedings to be initiated against LASUTH’s Chief Medical Director for the continued disobedience of the Court’s order, saying she would give the hospital a final opportunity to comply with her order.

She consequently adjourned the matter to April 7, 2026.

The coroner’s inquest into Mr. Onifade’s death was convened on the orders of a Federal High Court in Lagos following a suit brought against the Police and the Lagos State Government by MRA, demanding, among other things, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late journalist.

Delivering judgment in that suit on July 19, 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji directed the Attorney-General of Lagos State to take all necessary steps to ensure an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Onifade’s death and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death, as well as identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

At the resumption of proceedings on April 7, 2026, the District Coroner noted that in compliance with her order, LASUTH had submitted its report to the court.

According to the report, all the DNA samples held by the DNA Centre were destroyed as a result of the burning of the DNA Centre during the #EndSARS protests.

Mr. Adamu, leading Mr. Monday Arunsi, on behalf of MRA and the Onifade family, recounted the sequence of events, saying they revealed a fundamental inconsistency in the explanation provided by LASUTH as official records indicated that the DNA Centre was burnt on October 23, 2020, before Mr. Onifade’s death on October 24, 2020, after which DNA samples were collected from members of the Onifade family at a later date.

He submitted that on the basis of the chronology, attributing the alleged destruction of the DNA samples to the incident of October 23, 2020, is manifestly inconsistent and cannot be reconciled with the established sequence of events, “thereby rendering the explanation untenable both logically and evidentially.”

Mr. Adamu said although he was not imputing bad faith against any institution or authority, the apparent inconsistency in the report called for clarification and, where necessary, appropriate corrective measures to ensure the integrity of the investigative process.

He told the court that Pelumi’s parents, who were present in court, had subsequent interactions with relevant officials of LASUTH, including Professor John Obafunwa, the Chief Pathologist, following the collection of their DNA samples and that at no time were they informed that the samples had been compromised, destroyed, or that there was a need for re-sampling.

He said Pelumi’s parents were willing and available to give evidence on oath to that effect, should the court consider it necessary.

Mr. Adamu argued that in the light of the provisions of the Coroner’s Law of Lagos State, particularly those mandating the reporting and investigation of sudden, violent, or unnatural deaths within the jurisdiction where such deaths occur, the court should consider whether appropriate consequential orders were required to ensure that the inquest was conducted in strict compliance with the law, including as it related to the proper custodial and jurisdictional handling of the body.

The Coroner however observed that although the issue of the DNA samples was material, the primary and immediate concern of the court was the identification, location, and production of the body which was the central subject of the inquest proceedings.

The coroner added that based on information before it, the body had been transferred from LASUTH to another facility, reportedly in the Yaba area of Lagos.

She stressed that the resolution of the question concerning the whereabouts of the body was fundamental to the progress of the inquest and that issues relating to DNA analysis, though important, could be revisited once there was clarity regarding the custody and status of the body.

Mr. Adamu proposed that, in the interest of an expeditious determination of the matter, the efforts to locate and produce the body, as well as the necessary steps relating to the DNA analysis or re-sampling, should be pursued simultaneously.

The Coroner agreed with the suggestion and stressed the need to get direct clarification from all relevant institutions, particularly in light of the apparent inconsistencies in the accounts provided by LASUTH.

She said she was willing to take relatively short adjournments in the matter in order to ensure prompt compliance with her directives and to avoid undue delay in the administration of justice.

Mr. Adamu therefore applied to the court to direct the Chief Medical Director of the facility in Yaba, to which the body was transferred, to produce a comprehensive report concerning the body bearing Tag No. 1385, which it reportedly received from LASUTH.

The Coroner ruled that, consequent upon the report by LASUTH, the Chief Medical Director of the Yaba facility was ordered to produce a detailed report on the whereabouts and status of the body with Tag No. 1385, within 14 days of service of the order.

She thereafter adjourned the matter to April 28, 2026.

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The body was said to be tagged 1385, which LASUTH reportedly have received from the Ikorodu General Hospital on November 3, 2020 and conducted post-mortem examination on later that month.

The investigating magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, issued the fresh order during the last proceedings in the coroner’s inquest on March 3, 2026, at the request of Mr. Alimi Adamu, who led Mr. Monday Arunsi and Mr. Somto Afulukwe, as lawyers to Media Rights Agenda, MRA, and Pelumi Onifade’s family, following the failure of LASUTH to comply with an earlier order made on November 18, 2025, directing the hospital to produce “a comprehensive and specific report” relating to the body.

At the resumption of the proceedings at which Mr. Adebola Araba represented the Office of the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr. Adamu told the District Coroner that Pelumi’s parents, Mr. Olatunde Onifade and Mrs. Bose Onifade, were present in court.

Mrs. Oladele acknowledged their presence and formally expressed her condolences to the family for the death of their son.

Mr. Adamu said he had received confirmation that the protracted strike at LASUTH, which had stalled progress in the matter since the earlier order was made, had been called off and asked if the Coroner had received a report from LASUTH in compliance with the November 18, 2025 order.

The Coroner asked if the order had been duly served on the hospital, upon which Mr. Arunsi confirmed that the order was served on LASUTH in January 2026.

The Coroner, however, noted that there was no proof of service of the order in the Court’s file, and Mr. Arunsi promised to follow up with the court’s bailiff, whom he said had earlier told him that the proof of service had been filed.

The Coroner also asked whether the lawyers had visited LASUTH following the suspension of the strike, to which Mr. Arunsi responded that he had been to the hospital, adding that he just returned from LASUTH that morning before coming to the Court.

He explained that he visited the administrative block where the officials acknowledged that they had received the Court’s order but were unable to confirm if the hospital had complied with the order.

Mr. Alimi then observed that the November 18, 2025, order was directed generally at LASUTH and not to any specific official of the hospital, and applied for a fresh order directed specifically to the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH.

Mrs. Oladele granted the application and ordered the Chief Medical Director “to give a report of the body with the tag number 1385 said to have been received on behalf of LASUTH on 3rd November 2020 from Ikorodu General Hospital, within fourteen (14) days of receipt of this Order.”

She thereafter adjourned further proceedings in the matter to March 24, 2026.

The coroner’s inquest into Pelumi Onifade’s death was convened on the orders of a Federal High Court in Lagos following a suit brought against the Police and the Lagos State Government by MRA, demanding, among other things, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the late journalist.

In his judgment in that suit, delivered on July 19, 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji directed the Attorney-General of Lagos State to take all necessary steps to ensure an investigation into the circumstances of the younger Mr Onifade’s death and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death, as well as identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

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The call was made on Saturday by the newly elected president of the alumni association of Egba Obafemi Community Grammar School, Professor Funso Sonde.

Directly addressing old students of the school, Sonde said those who were already excelling in their different fields, should support the current students of the school.

In his acceptance speech at the swearing in, Sondo paid glowing tributes to past presidents of the alumni body, Alhaji Musiliu Onifade and Alhaji Mutiu Dada for laying solid foundations for the current executive committee to follow.

He emphasized the need for the old students to rise to the occasion as the physical structures in the school did not support excellence in academic pursuits.

“How can a student who offer science subjects pass when the building housing the laboratory has fallen down? This is not acceptable and a complete contrast to what I saw some 37 years ago when I had my teaching practice here as a student of Ogun State College of Education,” he said.

He then reeled out his programmes for the next four years which include regular organization of programmes that would encourage the current students to work harder, improvements on the physical facilities available in the school, most especially the various blocks of classrooms that are no more habitable, completion of all alumni projects especially those nearing completion, and interacting meaningfully with Ogun State Ministry of Education towards facilitating more physical developments and posting of more quality teachers to the school.

Others, he said, included the organization of welfare programmes that would improve learning  for all current students in the school as well as seeing to the creation of leadership of at least the first 20 sets of the school with a view to improving the list of financial members of the alumni body nationally and internationally.

Earlier in his welcome address, the immediate past president, Alhaji Mutiu Dada, urged all old students to cooperate and support the new exective, to be able to move the name of the school beyond what it was at that moment.

While expressing his appreciation for the support given his regime, particularly for the renovation of a seven bedroom living quarters to ease the accommodation problem facing the school as well as provision of modern toilet facilities for the school, Alhaji Dada also praised the state Commissioner for Education, Prof Arigbabu Abayomi, for renovating a block of classrooms through the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.

The election of the new executives saw the emergence of Gabriel Jolaoso as Deputy President; Moruf Oyeneye, General Secretary; Musibau Kareem, Treasurer; Hafees Sowemimo, Financial Secretary; Omolaja Agbeleshe, Legal Adviser; Olusiji Oyesile, Public Relations Officer; Taiwo Gabriel, Assistant General Secretary; Suleman Isola, Social/Welfare Officer; Sakirudeen Tejuoso, Chief Whip and Olufunke Shodipo Adebajo as Vice President, Diaspora.

The new president ended the meeting by swearing in members of the planning committee who were saddled with the task of planning the school’s golden jubilee in 2027

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Onifade was reportedly arrested by the Police while covering the #EndSARS protests in October 2020 and later found dead.

In a letter dated September 2, 2024, addressed to the law firm of Charles Musa & Co, lawyers to Media Rights Agenda, MRA, which sued the state government over Onifade’s death, the Chief State Counsel in the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Oluwaseun Akinde, writing on behalf of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, said the Coroner Unit of the Directorate would write to the state’s Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada, to request her to convoke an inquest into the death, in compliance with the court’s orders.

Akinde’s letter was in response to an earlier letter, dated August 22, 2024, by Mr. Kingsley Kenechukwu of Charles Musa and Co., addressed to the Attorney-General urging the government to “comply with the directives of the honourable court so that justice would be seen to be done and hope given to the common man that there is still justice in the judicial system.”

Saying that the matter was referred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions by the office of the Attorney-General, Akinde first proposed that the law firm could write directly to the office of the Chief Coroner to request the convocation of an inquest, but added that as an alternative, the Coroner Unit in the Directorate would write to the Chief Coroner’s office instead to ask her to conduct the inquest, in compliance with the Court’s judgment.

He therefore asked the law firm to send him a copy of the judgment of the Federal High Court to attach to the letter to the Chief Coroner.

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He advised that further correspondence on the matter should be addressed to him, adding that he could also be contacted directly on phone regarding further enquiries for quicker responses and provided his phone number for such contact.

The exchange of correspondence followed the July 19, 2024 judgment of Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji in a suit filed by MRA in which he directed the Attorney-General to take “all necessary steps to see to the investigation of the circumstances of the death of Pelumi Onifade and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death.”

MRA filed the suit against the Police through the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police as well as against the Lagos State Government, through the Attorney-General, asking the Court, among other things, to declare that Mr. Onifade’s shooting in Oko Oba in the Agege local government area of Lagos State, by policemen on October 24, 2020 in the course of his journalistic duties is unconstitutional and a gross violation of his fundamental rights while his arrest and subsequent restriction on his liberty by the Police were unlawful.

Although Justice Faji held in his judgment that there was no evidence before the court to support MRA’s claim that the late journalist died in the custody of the Police after which his body was deposited at the Ikorodu Mortuary in Lagos, he granted the organization’s request to order an investigation and directed the Attorney-General to take all necessary steps to see to the investigation of the circumstances of Mr.  Onifade’s death; conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death; and identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

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Chief Akin Onifade, the Sajuku of Esa-Oke told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Friday that Adesanya would be honoured at the Esa-Oke Day celebration later this year.

The celebrated Nigerian-New Zealand UFC middleweight combatant arrived Lagos on Wednesday, few days after losing the UFC 305 crown to South African Dricus Du Plessis.

After five consecutive UFC wins, Adesanya won the interim middle weight title against Kelvin Castelum in April, 2019 and unified the champion with a talent victory against Robert Whittaker in October that year.

Onifade said that Adesanya was given a carnival-like welcome at the palace of the Owa-Omiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Alayeluwa Adeyemi Adediran on Thursday.

“The Esa-Oke born UFC star was ushered into the palace by traditional drummers in company of an enthusiastic crowd of highly elated youths and family members and other eminent Nigerians.

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“The elated Owa-Omiran was full of praises to God for the feats achieved by the young artist, and prayed extensively for his glory to continue to shine brighter and brighter to the glory of God.

“The revered Owa-Omiran announced that the Ananye ruling house born Israel will be honoured during the Esa-Oke Day celebration later this year,” he said.

According to him, Adesanya expressed gratitude to the traditional ruler and the entire community for the warm reception and the honour accorded him.

“Adesanya in his response said he was delighted to be back to his roots and promised to always make Nigeria proud,” he said.

Present at the reception include the Asalu of Esa-Oke, High Chief James Ajewole and the Odogun of Esa-Oke, High Chief Olatunde Esan; Looyin of Esa-Oke, Chief Wale Aregbesola; Sajuku of Esa-Oke, Chief Akinwumi Onifade.

Others include the Obalogbo of Esa-Oke, Chief Olabode Ajayi; Osolu of Esa-Oke, Chief Ajiboye; Aro of Erinjinyan, Esa-Oke, Chief Akanni Omole and the Loja of Kajola-Esa-Oke, Oba Akande Adebiyi.

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Onfiade was reportedly arrested by officers attached to a Lagos State task force while covering the #EndSARS protests in 2020, and later found dead at a mortuary in Ikorodu in Lagos, where his body was deposited.

The court also ordered the state government to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death of Mr. Onifade as well as identify and prosecute those responsible.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda, MRA, over the death of the journalist against the Police and the Lagos State Government, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji agreed that the government’s chief law officer “cannot just conduct an inquest without a duplicate of the case-file” but he ruled that section 74 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Lagos State gave the Attorney-General the power to request for a case-file from the Commissioner of Police.

Although the court dismissed five of the claims made by MRA against the Police on the ground that there was no evidence before the court to support them, Justice Faji noted that none of the facts in MRA’s affidavit was denied by the Attorney-General who only raised an issue of law, adding that in the course of oral arguments, the Attorney-General’s counsel also undertook to conduct an inquest.

Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Charles Musa, who was selected for conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed an originating summons on August 4, 2021, on behalf of MRA, against the Lagos State Commissioner of Police (COP), the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General of Lagos State.

In the suit filed pursuant to Sections 6(6) and 46(1) as well as 33, 35 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution; Articles 4, 5 and 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, 2004; and Order II Rules 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, the organization is asking the court to declare that:

*Mr. Onifade’s shooting in Oko Oba in Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State, by agents of the COP and the IGP on October 24, 2020 in the course of his journalistic work is unconstitutional and a gross violation of his fundamental rights as guaranteed by section 33 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004;

*Mr. Onifade’s arrest and unlawful or restriction of his liberty by agents of the COP and the IGP on October 24, 2020 in the course of his journalistic work is unconstitutional and a gross violation of his fundamental rights as guaranteed by sections 35, 39 and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 5 and9 of the African Charter;

*The constitutional and statutory duties of the respondents do not extend to unlawful detention of innocent individuals who have not been charged to Court or found guilty of any offence by a competent court of law in Nigeria; and

*The COP and the IGP have an obligation to investigate crimes committed against Mr. Onifade, a journalist exercising his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Sections 33 and 39 of the Constitution and Articles 4 and 9 of the African Charter.

MRA also asked the court to issue three orders, directing the respondents to launch a transparent, impartial and independent investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Onifade whose body was found in a morgue in Lagos; directing them to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of his death; and directing them to identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

In his judgment, Justice Faji pointed out that although the COP and the IGP were served with the originating summons and other processes in the suit, they did not file any response.

He noted that Mr. John Gbadamosi, MRA’s Programme Officer who deposed to the affidavit in support of suit, did not witness any of the facts relevant to the matter, adding that there was also no documentation in support of the claim that Mr. Onifade’s corpse was deposited in a mortuary.

Justice Faji also observed that although there was constant reference in the affidavit to the family of the deceased who, he said, would have the necessary information regarding their various interactions with the Police, none of them filed any evidence in support of the incident.

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He therefore dismissed the claims against the Police for lack of evidence.

Although the judge commended the Office of the Attorney-General of Lagos State for upholding the duties of the office by attending court and assisting the court in the matter, he noted that the explanation by the Attorney-General’s lawyer that the reason a coroner’s inquest was not conducted was because the duplicate of the case file was not forwarded to his office.

According to him, in response to the court’s question on what the Attorney-General did about the matter since being served with the court processes, the lawyer submitted that the Attorney-General is ready to conduct an inquest.

Justice Faji stressed that the Attorney-General is not alleged to have known about the alleged unlawful killing of Mr. Onifade and is also not accused of being involved in the killing but that as stated by MRA, he has a duty to conduct an inquest into the circumstances of the death.

He said:  “Indeed, in paragraph 15 of the counter­ affidavit, the 3rd respondent (the Attorney-General) has stated that he would prosecute anyone found to have a prima facie case established against him.”

Justice Faji therefore directed the Attorney-General to take all necessary steps to see to the investigation of the circumstances of the death of Mr.  Onifade and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the death as well as identify and prosecute those responsible for his death.

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