A Federal High Court in Lagos has mandated the state government to take immediate steps to investigate the death of Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old reporter for Gboah TV.
Justice Olayinka Faji ordered the Lagos State Government to conduct a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of Onifade’s death and to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The directive came as the court delivered its judgment in a suit filed by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) against the police and the Lagos State Government. According to Idowu Adewale, Communications Officer of MRA, Onifade was arrested by officers from the Lagos State Task Force while covering the #EndSARS protests in 2020 and was later found dead in a mortuary in Ikorodu, Lagos.
Lagos-based lawyer Charles Musa filed the suit on behalf of MRA on August 4, 2021, citing violations of Onifade’s constitutional rights under Sections 6(6), 33, 35, and 39 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 4, 5, and 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
MRA sought the court’s declaration that Onifade’s shooting and subsequent arrest were unconstitutional and demanded a transparent investigation into his death. Justice Faji noted that while the police and other respondents did not respond to the summons, there was insufficient evidence against the police due to the lack of documentation and testimony from Onifade’s family.
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Despite this, the judge directed the Lagos State Attorney-General to investigate Onifade’s death and conduct the necessary inquest. The Attorney-General’s office, which had claimed that a coroner’s inquest was delayed due to procedural issues, affirmed its readiness to conduct the investigation.
Justice Faji emphasized the importance of the Attorney-General’s duty to conduct an inquest and prosecute anyone found culpable in the death of Onifade.
