Shola Akinyele
DNA test results have finally confirmed that the unidentified body recovered at an Ikorodu mortuary in 2020 belongs to Pelumi Emmanuel Onifade, the young journalist who disappeared while covering the #EndSARS protests in Lagos.
The confirmation comes nearly six years after Onifade, then a 20-year-old intern with Gboah TV, went missing on October 24, 2020, while documenting events during the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality.
According to eyewitness accounts presented during ongoing legal proceedings, Onifade was covering protests in the Agege area of Lagos when officers of the Lagos State Task Force allegedly shot at and detained him despite reportedly identifying himself as a journalist and wearing a press jacket.
Days after his disappearance, the journalist’s family discovered an unidentified body bearing a gunshot wound at the Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary. However, efforts to establish the identity of the deceased were hampered by prolonged forensic delays.
One of the major setbacks was the destruction of initial DNA samples following a fire outbreak at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre during the October 2020 unrest.
In July 2024, the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government to commence a coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death and directed the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to conduct a post-mortem examination on the body.
Following months of legal proceedings, DNA samples obtained from Onifade’s mother were eventually analysed by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre.
During a recent sitting of the coroner’s inquest, the presiding magistrate disclosed that the DNA results confirmed a match between the remains tagged as Body No. 1385 and samples provided by the journalist’s parents.
The development brings an end to years of uncertainty and anguish for Onifade’s family, who have continued to seek answers over his disappearance and death.
Although the family described the confirmation as heartbreaking, they said it was necessary to achieve some measure of closure.
Counsel to the family has since called for a comprehensive autopsy to determine the exact cause and circumstances surrounding the journalist’s death.
The coroner’s inquest has been adjourned until July 7, 2026, as investigations continue.
The confirmation of Onifade’s death has reignited calls for justice and accountability over unresolved deaths linked to the #EndSARS protests.
As legal proceedings continue, the late journalist’s remains are yet to be buried pending the conclusion of the inquest.
May his soul rest in peace.
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