By Damilola Abiola
A Lagos coroner’s court on Tuesday adjourned proceedings in the inquest into the death of journalist Pelumi Onifade to April 7, 2026, after the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital failed to comply with an order to produce a report on an unidentified body linked to the case.
Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, was reportedly shot while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020.
The coroner, Magistrate Temitope Oladele, said she would give the hospital’s Chief Medical Director a final opportunity to comply with the court’s directive before considering enforcement measures.
The court had ordered LASUTH to produce “a comprehensive and specific report” on an unidentified body tagged 1385, said to have been received from Ikorodu General Hospital on November 3, 2020, and examined later that month.
The initial order, issued on November 18, 2025, was followed by a fresh directive on March 3, 2026, specifically addressing the hospital’s Chief Medical Director and requiring submission of the report within 14 days.
However, when the matter was called on March 24, no report had been filed, and no representative of the hospital appeared in court.
Counsel to the family and Media Rights Agenda, Alimi Adamu, told the court that the order had been duly served and urged enforcement, applying for a “Form 48” notice to compel compliance.
After reviewing court records and confirming non-compliance, Oladele declined the application, citing the need for caution and noting that in institutional settings, court documents may not always reach principal officers promptly.
She directed counsel, alongside Monday Arunsi, to follow up with the hospital to determine the cause of the delay and facilitate compliance.
The inquest was convened following a judgment by the Federal High Court in a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda against the police and the Lagos State government.
In the July 19, 2024, ruling, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji directed the Lagos State Attorney-General to ensure a full investigation into the circumstances of Onifade’s death, including a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death and identify those responsible.