Esther Oluku
The Coroner Court investigating the death of Mr. Pelumi Onifade, a young journalist with Gboah TV, who was reportedly shot and arrested while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020, has directed the key witnesses to begin testifying at the inquest despite continued delay in the release of the autopsy report.
At the latest hearing on the inquest, which took place on July 7, the investigating Magistrate, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, explained that the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) was contacted regarding the court’s earlier order for it to produce the autopsy report for the late journalist.
She said the court received feedback from LASUTH that the report had been substantially completed but was awaiting the endorsement of the medical examiner who had examined it before it could be formally issued, and was expected to be ready in about two weeks, as the medical examiner was away at the moment.
Mr. Alimi Adamu, the lawyer representing Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the parents of the late journalist, who were both present in court, welcomed the feedback but emphasised the critical importance of the autopsy report to the inquest.
Adamu, leading Mr. Monday Arunsi and Mr. Victor John, noted that following the conclusive identification of the late journalist through DNA evidence previously admitted by the court during the proceedings on June 23, 2026, the autopsy report has become the principal outstanding documentary evidence needed to establish the precise cause of death.
He urged the court not to suspend proceedings pending receipt of the report, arguing that witness testimony could commence while the document was being finalised.
Agreeing with Adamu, the Coroner directed that the first category of witnesses to be invited would be persons who interacted with the late journalist shortly before his death or had first-hand knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly his colleague, who was reportedly with him immediately before the shooting.
The coroner, however, observed that the witness remained an important source of evidence and directed that efforts should be made to secure his testimony, adding that if his attendance in person posed practical or security concerns, the witness could testify virtually.
Adamu submitted that the police officers who recovered the deceased and prepared the relevant police records constituted essential witnesses whose evidence would assist the court in reconstructing the circumstances leading to the death.
He referred to the police report contained in the batch of documents submitted by the Ikorodu General Hospital, which is already before the Court and which recorded that the late journalist sustained a gunshot wound before his body was taken away from the scene of the incident.
Following a review of the report from the Ikorodu General Hospital, ASP Adeyemi Adewale and Inspector A. Augustine were identified as among the officers connected with the matter.
Adamu also informed the coroner that another potential witness was the director of Gboah TV, who reportedly arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting and interacted with security personnel before the late journalist was taken away.
The coroner stressed that although findings made during the inquest may subsequently inform civil or criminal proceedings, the immediate objective of the inquest is not to apportion liability but to establish the truth surrounding the death under investigation.
Adamu agreed with the coroner’s observations, but noted that evidence obtained during the inquest could ultimately assist the late journalist’s family in pursuing any remedies available to them under the law.
He, therefore, submitted that although the immediate concern of the inquest was determining the cause of death of the late journalist, it was equally important to identify the officers involved and understand the circumstances surrounding the shooting, as doing so would naturally advance the coroner’s objective.
The coroner encouraged all the parties to maintain the momentum by proceeding with witness testimony notwithstanding the outstanding autopsy report, adding that continued cooperation between the lawyers and the parties is consistent with the inquisitorial nature of the coroner’s inquest, which requires a collaborative search for the truth rather than an adversarial contest between litigants.
She, thereafter, adjourned further proceedings to July 29, 2026, to enable the Medical Examiner at LASUTH to return and finalise the autopsy report, facilitate efforts to secure the attendance of the identified witnesses, and commence witness testimony immediately.
