The Lagos State government has said that it is willing to comply with a Federal High Court order in Lagos, which mandates an investigation into the circumstances and cause of death of Mr. Pelumi Onifade, a 20-year-old reporter for Gboah TV.E

Onifade was reportedly arrested by the police while covering the #EndSARS protests in October 2020 and was later found dead.

In a letter dated September 2, 2024, addressed to Charles Musa & Co., the law firm representing Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which had filed a lawsuit over Mr. Onifade’s death, Mr. Oluwaseun Akinde, Chief State Counsel in the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, responded on behalf of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

Akinde stated that the Directorate’s Coroner Unit would formally request the State’s Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada, to convene an inquest into the death, in line with the court’s order.

This letter was in response to an earlier communication from Kingsley Kenechukwu of Charles Musa & Co., dated August 22, 2024, which urged the government to comply with the court directives to ensure justice and reinforce public trust in the judicial system.

Mr. Akinde explained that the matter had been referred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions by the Attorney-General’s office.

While he initially suggested that the law firm could write directly to the Chief Coroner to request an inquest, he later confirmed that the Coroner Unit would handle the request on behalf of the government.

He also requested a copy of the Federal High Court’s judgment to include in the letter to the Chief Coroner.

Akinde further advised that future communications on the matter should be directed to him and provided his contact details for more direct correspondence.

This exchange of letters followed the July 19, 2024 judgment by Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji, who, in response to a suit filed by the Media Rights Agenda (MRA), instructed the Attorney-General to initiate an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Onifade’s death and conduct a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause.

The lawsuit was filed against both the Lagos State Government and the Police through the Inspector-General and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.

MRA had sought, among other things, a declaration that Mr. Onifade’s shooting by police officers in Oko Oba, Agege Local Government Area, on October 24, 2020, while he was performing his journalistic duties, was unconstitutional and a violation of his fundamental rights.

They also argued that his arrest and subsequent detention were unlawful.

Although Justice Faji found insufficient evidence to support the claim that Mr. Onifade died in police custody before his body was discovered at the Ikorodu Mortuary, he granted MRA’s request for an investigation.

He ordered the Attorney-General to take necessary actions to ascertain the cause of death, identify those responsible, and ensure prosecution.