Postmortem Confirms Pelumi Onifade Died From Gunshot Injury

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Late Pelumi Onifade


Five years after young journalist Pelumi Onifade died during the #EndSARS era, a postmortem report by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has confirmed that he died from a firearm injury to the abdomen.

Onifade, a journalist with Gboah TV, was reportedly shot and arrested on October 24, 2020, while covering the #EndSARS protests in Lagos.

According to the nine-page postmortem report submitted to the Coroner’s Court, the cause of death was “massive haemoperitoneum” and “penetrating firearms injury to the abdomen.” The report was signed on July 30, 2026.

The examination, conducted at the LASUTH morgue on November 4, 2020, found that a firearm projectile entered Onifade’s body through the lower back, causing extensive abdominal injuries and massive internal bleeding.

The report also recorded bony fragments embedded in the abdominal tissue and a fracture of the fifth lumbar vertebra. The projectile’s trajectory was described as posterior-to-anterior, right-to-left and infero-superior.

The body, identified by mortuary tag No. 1385, was confirmed through DNA analysis by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre to be that of Onifade.

The postmortem findings form part of an ongoing coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s death.

The inquest followed a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda (MRA) against the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force, seeking an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Onifade’s death.

In a July 19, 2024 judgment, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji directed the Lagos State Attorney-General to take steps to investigate the death and conduct a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death and identify those responsible.

The latest forensic finding establishes the medical cause of death but does not, by itself, determine who fired the weapon or criminal responsibility. Those issues remain before the Coroner’s Court.

Further proceedings in the inquest have been adjourned to October 6, 2026.

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