Coroner Orders Contempt Proceedings Against Ikorodu Hospital Director Over Late Journalist’s Records
The Medical Director of Ikorodu General Hospital in Lagos has been charged with contempt by the magistrate overseeing the Coroner’s Court looking into the death of the late Mr. Pelumi Onifade, a journalist for Gboah TV, for neglecting to provide documents pertaining to the deceased reporter’s remains.
The order was given by the coroner, Mrs. Temitope Oladele, during the inquest’s reopened hearing on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. She directed that a Certified True Copy of the court’s previous order be forwarded to the Medical Director or any other designated hospital official, together with Form 48, the “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Court Order.”
On August 8, 2025, the hospital was required to produce records attesting to the deposit, release, or present condition of Onifade’s remains. The order came when Media Rights Agenda (MRA) attorney Mr. Monday Arunsi filed an application and told the court that the Medical Director had refused to comply, stating that the requested material was privileged.
After MRA, acting on behalf of Onifade’s family, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Government, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the inquest to be held. Accountability and a comprehensive inquiry of the journalist’s death, which transpired during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, are sought in this case.
MRA’s lead attorney, Mr. Samuel Adebola of Charles Musa & Co., informed the court during Tuesday’s proceedings that he and two other attorneys, Mr. Arunsi and Ms. Jennifer Wala, visited Ikorodu General Hospital on October 2, 2025, to meet with the Medical Director in accordance with the coroner’s most recent directive.
He claimed that despite being requested to wait since the Medical Director was allegedly in a meeting, the crew was left unattended after more than five hours of waiting.
On August 26, 2025, Mr. Adebola observed that the hospital and its director were properly served with the August 8 order; nonetheless, they did not comply or attempt to comply within the seven days that the court had set. Thus, he requested that the Medical Director receive a contempt citation.
After reviewing the filing, Coroner Oladele approved the application and mandated that Form 48 be created and served right away, threatening legal repercussions for noncompliance.
After that, the inquest was postponed for a new hearing until October 22, 2025.
While covering the #EndSARS protests in 2020, police officers affiliated with the Lagos State Taskforce reportedly detained the late Pelumi Onifade. His death was found in the mortuary of Ikorodu General Hospital a few days later, which infuriated the public and led to calls for justice from human rights groups and the media.
