By Habeeb Ibrahim
Six years after journalist Pelumi Onifade disappeared while covering the #EndSARS protests in Lagos, a postmortem report has confirmed that he died from a firearm injury to the abdomen.
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which has been pursuing legal action over the circumstances surrounding his death, disclosed the finding on Thursday, September 17, 2026, following the submission of the postmortem report to the Coroner’s Court investigating the case.
Onifade, a young journalist with Gboah TV, was reportedly shot and arrested while covering the #EndSARS protests on October 24, 2020.
The nine-page postmortem report, issued by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), found that a firearm projectile entered his body through the lower back, causing extensive injuries to his abdomen and massive internal bleeding.
The examination was conducted at the LASUTH morgue on November 4, 2020, by Consultant Pathologist, Professor Sunday Sokunle Soyemi, with Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, Supervising Consultant, in attendance. It was authorised by the Coroner, Mrs Bola Folarin-Williams, while the report was finalised and signed on July 30, 2026.
The report listed the cause of death as “massive haemoperitoneum” and “penetrating firearms injury to the abdomen”.
Haemoperitoneum refers to the accumulation of blood within the abdominal cavity. In Onifade’s case, the firearm injury caused extensive internal damage and severe bleeding that resulted in his death.
The pathologist described the trajectory of the projectile as “posterior-to-anterior, right-to-left and infero-superior”, indicating that it entered from behind and travelled towards the front, from the right side towards the left and upwards through the body.
The examination also found bony fragments embedded in the soft tissue of the abdomen and a fracture of the fifth lumbar vertebra. The injuries inside the abdomen were described as consistent with a firearm injury and the ricochet of the missile.
The body examined during the postmortem was tagged number 1385 and was later identified as Onifade through DNA analysis provided by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre.
Onifade disappeared on October 24, 2020, during a period of nationwide protests against police brutality and the activities of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
His disappearance raised concerns among his family, colleagues and rights groups, particularly over what happened to him after he was reportedly arrested while covering the protests.
The discovery and eventual identification of his remains did not immediately resolve the circumstances surrounding his death, leading to further calls for an official investigation.
Media Rights Agenda later filed a suit against the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force, seeking an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s death.
On July 19, 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos directed the Attorney-General of Lagos State to take all necessary steps to investigate the circumstances surrounding Onifade’s death.
The court also directed the conduct of a coroner’s inquest to establish the cause of death and identify and prosecute those responsible.
The Lagos State Government subsequently convened the inquest, where questions surrounding Onifade’s disappearance, death and the handling of his remains have been examined.
The postmortem report now provides the coroner with a formal medical finding on the cause of death, although the examination itself was conducted nearly six years ago.
While the report establishes that Onifade died from a penetrating firearm injury and massive internal bleeding, it does not identify who fired the weapon or establish the circumstances in which the fatal shot was fired.
It also does not determine whether the projectile came from a police weapon or another firearm.
Those questions remain before the coroner as the investigation continues.
Further proceedings in the inquest have been adjourned to October 6, 2026.
