Court Moves Against Ikorodu Hospital Director for Withholding Late Journalist’s Records

A magistrate overseeing the Coroner’s Court investigation into the death of Gboah TV journalist Mr. Pelumi Onifade has ordered contempt proceedings against the Medical Director of Ikorodu General Hospital in Lagos for neglecting to produce documents pertaining to the deceased reporter’s remains.

At the inquest’s reopened hearing on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the directive was given by the coroner, Mrs. Temitope Oladele. She directed that the Medical Director or any authorized hospital representative receive a Certified True Copy of the court’s previous order along with Form 48, the “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Court Order.”

Documentation proving the deposit, release, or present condition of Onifade’s remains was required of the hospital on August 8, 2025. Mr. Monday Arunsi, the Media Rights Agenda’s (MRA) attorney, applied for the direction after the Medical Director refused to comply, stating that the requested material was privileged.

After MRA filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Government on behalf of Onifade’s family, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the inquest to be held. The case aims to hold everyone accountable and conduct a comprehensive inquiry of the journalist’s death, which happened in October 2020 during the #EndSARS protests.

In court on Tuesday, MRA’s lead attorney, Mr. Samuel Adebola of Charles Musa & Co., informed the judge 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 order.

According to him, the crew was requested to wait since the medical director was allegedly at a meeting, but they were left unattended after waiting for over five hours.

While the hospital and its director were duly served with the August 8 order on August 26, 2025, Mr. Adebola pointed out that they did not comply or attempt to comply within the seven days the court had set. He so requested a contempt citation for the Medical Director.

Following review of the filing, Coroner Oladele approved the application and mandated that Form 48 be created and served right away, stating that noncompliance with court orders would result in legal repercussions.

The inquiry was therefore postponed for a new hearing on October 22, 2025.

It has been alleged that police officers affiliated with the Lagos State Taskforce apprehended the late Pelumi Onifade during the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations. When his death was found in the morgue of Ikorodu General Hospital a few days later, the public became incensed and human rights organizations and the media demanded justice.