The coroner investigating the death of Pelumi Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, has ordered the chief medical director (CMD) of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to provide a report on the whereabouts of the unidentified body deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital within 14 days.
The body, tagged 1385, was said to have been deposited at
the morgue on November 3, 2020.
On October 24, 2020, Onifade was reportedly taken away by
police officers attached to the Lagos task force while covering a mob attack
at a government facility in the Agege area of Lagos.
He was said to have been forcefully taken away despite
wearing a jacket identifying him as a reporter.
Days later, Gboah TV announced that the body of Onifade was
discovered at a mortuary in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.
On July 19, 2024, the federal high court in Lagos ordered
the state government to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of
Onifade’s death as well as identify and prosecute those responsible.
In October 2024, the coroner commenced hearing.
On November 18, 2025, the coroner ordered LASUTH to perform
a post-mortem examination of the unidentified body.
TUESDAY’S PROCEEDINGS
In a statement, Media Rights Agenda (MRA) said during the
resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Alimi Adamu, lead counsel to MRA, told the
coroner that the protracted strike at LASUTH, which had stalled progress in the
case since the earlier order was made, had been called off.
Other counsel in the team are Monday Arunsi and Somto
Afulukwe.
Adebola Araba represented the office of the attorney-general
of Lagos state.
Adamu asked if the coroner had received a report from LASUTH
in compliance with the order issued on November 18, 2025.
Responding, Temitope Oladele, the investigating magistrate,
asked if the order had been duly served on the hospital.
The coroner was informed that the order was served on LASUTH
in January 2026.
However, the coroner said there was no proof of service of
the order in the court’s file.
Responding, Arunsi promised to follow up with the court’s
bailiff, whom he said had earlier confirmed that the proof of service had been
filed.
The corner asked whether the lawyers had visited LASUTH
following the suspension of the strike.
Arunsi responded that he had been to the hospital and that
he just returned from LASUTH before appearing in court.
Arunsi said he visited the administrative block of the
hospital and was informed by the officials that they had received the court
order but were unable to confirm if the hospital had complied with the order.
Also speaking, Alimi said the order issued on November 18,
2025, was directed at LASUTH and not to any specific official of the hospital.
He applied for a fresh order to be directed specifically to
the chief medical director of LASUTH.
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 days of receipt of this order”.
She thereafter adjourned proceedings to March 24, 2026.
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