Pelumi Onifade: After nearly six years of uncertainty, a young reporter killed during #EndSARS finally receives official recognition and justice begins.
On 23 June 2026, an emotional scene unfolded in Lagos’s Coroner Court when DNA test results finally confirmed the identity of a young journalist who vanished nearly six years earlier whilst covering the #EndSARS protests.
Pelumi Emmanuel Onifade, a 20-year-old intern reporter with Gboah TV and 200-level History student at Tai Solarin University of Education, had disappeared on 24 October 2020 after being arrested by police officers who allegedly shot him during the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality.
His unidentified body had languished in Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary for years, tagged only as “No. 1385,” whilst his family endured agonising uncertainty about his fate.
The DNA confirmation is a turning point in the search for justice in a case that symbolises the violence unleashed on journalists and protesters during one of Nigeria’s most turbulent moments.
24 OCTOBER 2020: Arrest and Disappearance
Pelumi Onifade was covering the #EndSARS protests at a government facility in the Agege area of Lagos when he was reportedly arrested by officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force. Despite clearly identifying himself as a journalist and wearing clothing that marked him as a member of the press, he was forcefully taken away by security operatives.
Eyewitness accounts and media reports indicate that after recording and sharing a video report documenting a critical moment during the demonstrations, Onifade became a target. Reports suggest he was shot during this incident and his body was subsequently taken away by security personnel.
3 NOVEMBER 2020: Body Deposited at Mortuary
An unidentified body was deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary and assigned the reference tag “No. 1385.” Initial suspicions among those who knew Onifade suggested the body might be his, but without identification, the remains could not be officially confirmed.
Gboah TV announced days after his disappearance that they believed they had located Onifade’s body at the mortuary, but formal identification remained impossible for years.
2020-2024: Years of Uncertainty and Delayed Identification
For nearly four years, Pelumi’s family endured agonising uncertainty whilst searching for answers about his whereabouts and fate. The identification process was severely hampered by an unforeseen obstacle.
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital disclosed that efforts to identify the remains had been significantly delayed because DNA samples stored at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre were destroyed during the #EndSARS unrest itself. This destruction of forensic evidence, ironically occurring during the very protests that claimed Onifade’s life, eliminated the primary means of identifying unaccounted-for victims.
The family received no official confirmation of his death, leaving them without closure and without the opportunity to provide him with proper burial rites according to their customs.
JULY 2024: Federal High Court Intervention
Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos delivered a judgment on the wrongful death suit brought by Media Rights Agenda against the Police and the Lagos State Government. The court ordered the Lagos State Government to conduct a coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding Onifade’s death.
Justice Faji directed the Attorney-General to ensure an investigation into the circumstances of Onifade’s death and to conduct a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death as well as identify and prosecute those responsible.
MAY 2026: Fresh DNA Ordered
Following the Federal High Court judgment, the Coroner Court ordered the Chief Medical Examiner at the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of LASUTH to forward the autopsy report for body No. 1385 within 21 days.
A fresh DNA test was eventually conducted using a new sample provided by Onifade’s mother, Adebose Onifade. This renewed testing effort offered hope of finally resolving the years-long mystery surrounding his identity.
23 JUNE 2026: DNA Confirmation in Emotional Court Scene
On Tuesday, 23 June 2026, the Coroner Court proceedings reached a pivotal moment when Investigating Magistrate Temitope Oladele announced the results of the DNA analysis.
“The DNA results established a match between the previously unidentified body and the sample provided by Pelumi’s mother,” the court heard.
The sealed report from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre confirmed that genetic analysis established Adebose Onifade as the mother of the unidentified body.
Mrs Adebose Onifade wept inconsolably upon hearing the confirmation. Her husband, Olatunde Onifade, was also present in the courtroom as the defining moment finally arrived after nearly six years of anguish.
Lawyer Alimi Adamu, representing Media Rights Agenda and the Onifade family, acknowledged the family’s restraint:
“The family had exercised considerable restraint despite repeated police denial of any involvement in Pelumi’s death and their insistence that he did not die in their custody.
There is growing public interest in the matter, in addition to significant concern within the media community regarding the circumstances surrounding Pelumi Onifade’s disappearance and death, as he met his death whilst carrying out his work as a journalist.”
23 JUNE 2026: Ongoing Quest for Autopsy and Justice
Following the DNA confirmation, the focus shifted to obtaining the autopsy report that would establish the exact cause of death. The Coroner directed that a final administrative reminder be issued to LASUTH for the immediate production of the autopsy report.
Investigating Magistrate Oladele advised the family’s lawyers to physically visit LASUTH to facilitate compliance rather than relying solely on formal correspondence.
She warned that should these efforts fail, she would invoke the Court’s full powers under the law to compel the production of the outstanding autopsy report.
The matter has been adjourned until 7 July 2026 for further proceedings.
International Response and Condemnation
Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the killing and highlighting the broader pattern of violence during #EndSARS. The organisation stated:
“The case of Pelumi Onifade is just one of many shocking atrocities committed by Nigeria’s security agencies during #EndSARS protests. The revelation that a DNA test result confirmed that a previously unidentified body was that of journalist Pelumi Onifade further shows the horrifying level of violence unleashed on protesters and journalists during #EndSARS protests in October 2020.”
Amnesty International reiterated:
“Nigerian police attached to the Lagos State Task Force deliberately killed the 20-year-old journalist, Pelumi Onifade, on Saturday, October 24, 2020. His body was later dumped at the mortuary of General Hospital Ikorodu, Lagos.”
The DNA confirmation of Pelumi Onifade’s identity represents a painful but long-awaited closure for his family and the journalism community in Nigeria. Nearly six years after his disappearance, the young journalist who died whilst carrying out his work is finally officially recognised and his death acknowledged by the courts.
However, the journey towards full justice is not yet complete. The family’s legal team continues to press for the autopsy report to determine the exact cause of death and to establish accountability for those responsible. The police have persistently denied any involvement in Onifade’s death and claim he did not die in their custody, assertions that remain contradicted by eyewitness accounts and evidence presented before the court.
Pelumi’s case exemplifies the risks faced by journalists reporting on critical events in Nigeria and the challenges families endure when seeking accountability from security agencies. His mother’s tears in the courtroom on 23 June 2026 represented not only grief but also the beginning of a fresh chapter in the struggle for justice.
The next court hearing on 7 July 2026 will determine whether LASUTH complies with orders to produce the autopsy report, a critical piece of evidence that could unlock further accountability and provide the answers the Onifade family has sought for nearly six years.
