Pelumi Onifade: Fresh Update Emerges Over Death of Journalist After Lagos Police Took Him Away
- LASUTH reported that all DNA samples linked to Pelumi Onifade’s case were destroyed during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests
- MRA counsel Alimi Adamu challenged LASUTH’s report, arguing that DNA samples from Onifade’s family collected after his death could not have been destroyed
- Coroner Temitope Oladele ordered the Chief Medical Director of the Yaba facility to provide a detailed report on the body tagged 1385 within 14 days
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A new development has emerged in the ongoing inquest into the death of journalist Pelumi Onifade, with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
Legit.ng gathered that key DNA samples linked to the case were destroyed during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
Source: UGC
The disclosure was made during proceedings on Tuesday, April 7, before the coroner, Temitope Oladele, who confirmed that the hospital had complied with an earlier directive to submit a report on the whereabouts of the late reporter’s body.
According to the report, all DNA samples held at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre were lost when the facility was burnt during the unrest, The Cable reported.
Counsel raises inconsistencies in LASUTH report
However, counsel to Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Alimi Adamu, challenged the hospital’s position, describing the explanation as inconsistent with established facts.
He told the court that records show the DNA centre was set ablaze on 23 October 2020 — a day before Onifade’s reported death.
Adamu argued that DNA samples obtained from the journalist’s family were collected after his death and therefore could not have been among those destroyed.
He maintained that attributing the loss of the samples to the incident was “manifestly inconsistent and cannot be reconciled with the established sequence of events”.
Coroner shifts focus to locating journalist’s body
In response, the coroner noted that while the DNA issue remains significant, the priority of the court is to determine the location and custody of the body central to the inquest.
Oladele stated that available information suggests the body had been moved from LASUTH to another facility in the Yaba area of Lagos.
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She indicated that questions surrounding DNA analysis would be revisited once clarity is achieved regarding the body’s whereabouts.
Court orders fresh report from Yaba facility
Following submissions by counsel, the coroner directed the Chief Medical Director of the Yaba-based facility to provide a detailed account of the body identified as number 1385, reportedly transferred from LASUTH.
Source: Original
The court ordered that the report be submitted within 14 days, as efforts intensify to establish the fate of the journalist.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to 28 April 2026.
Background to journalist’s disappearance and death
Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, was allegedly taken away by officers attached to a Lagos task force on 24 October 2020 while covering unrest in the Agege area.
Despite wearing identification as a journalist, he was reportedly forced into custody. Days later, his remains were said to have been discovered at a mortuary in Ikorodu, LEadership reported.
In July 2024, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered a coroner’s inquest to determine the circumstances surrounding his death and identify those responsible.
The inquest, which began in October 2024, has since faced multiple delays, including disruptions caused by industrial action at LASUTH, as proceedings continue to seek answers over the controversial case.
Journalist found dead in Abuja
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Barely one month after his disappearance on Wednesday, October 13, a Vanguard journalist, Tordue Salem, was found dead.
The remains of Salem were recovered on Thursday, November 11, in Abuja, two days short of one month since his disappearance.
He worked as a correspondent covering the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives, before his disappearance and death.
Source: Legit.ng
