- Court orders inquest into death
A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Lagos State Government to investigate the death of Pelumi Onifade, a 20-Year Old journalist with Gboah TV.
Onifade was arrested by the Police Task Force attached to the Lagos State Police Command during the #EndSARS protest in 2020, while covering the event.
He simply vanished and had not been seen, or heard from until his corpse was recently seen at the Ikorodu Mortuary.
This led to the call for a thorough investigation into his death.
The Media Rights Agenda, MRA, had taken up the case, filing a suit against the Police and the Lagos State Government demanding for an investigation into his death and circumstances surrounding how his body was found at Ikorodu Mortuary.
Hon. Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji’s verdict, mandating Lagos State Government to investigate the death of Onifade, includes an order for a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death as well as to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Idowu Adewale, MRA Communication Officer, in a statement on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, said the Group was bent on getting justice for the deceased.
Justice Faji acknowledged that while the Lagos State Attorney-General cannot conduct an inquest without a case file, section 74 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State empowers him to request it from the Commissioner of Police.
Although the Court dismissed five of MRA’s claims against the Police due to insufficient evidence, Justice Faji noted that the Attorney-General did not contest any facts in MRA’s affidavit but raised a legal issue instead. The Attorney-General’s counsel also committed to conducting an inquest during oral arguments.
The suit, filed on August 4, 2021, by Lagos-based lawyer, Charles Musa, sought declarations that Onifade’s shooting and subsequent arrest by Police agents violated his fundamental rights.
MRA also requested the court to direct the authorities to investigate the death transparently and independently, conduct a coroner’s inquest, and prosecute those found responsible.
Justice Faji highlighted that the Police did not respond to the suit, and there was no supporting documentation for claims about the mortuary.
He however, commended the Attorney-General’s office for its cooperation noting that the Attorney-General had a duty to conduct an inquest into Onifade’s death.
