Coalition demands release of Pelumi Onifade’s body — 47 months after #EndSARS protest

A coalition of three media rights organisations have demanded the release of the body of Pelumi Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, who was killed during the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

On October 24, 2020, Onifade was reportedly taken away by police officers attached to the Lagos task force while covering a mob attack at a government facility in Agege area of Lagos.

He was said to have been forcefully taken away despite wearing a jacket identifying him as a reporter.

Days later, Gboah TV announced that the body of Onifade was discovered at a mortuary in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

Since October 2020, the body of the slain journalist is yet to be released to the family.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists, International Press Institute, and Media Foundation for West Africa, said Nigerian authorities are yet to provide an explanation on the death of Onifade.

They said the action violates the family’s customary right to custody of Onifade’s remains for “proper burial”.

“Nearly four years after the killing of journalist Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi, we, the undersigned organizations committed to promoting and defending press freedom, call on Nigerian authorities to ensure Pelumi’s body is released to his family and that those responsible for his death are identified and held to accountable,” the statement reads.

“Authorities have yet to provide an official account of what happened to Pelumi and the need for greater transparency was underscored by a recent Lagos court order in a case brought by Nigerian press freedom group Media Rights Agenda, which directed the government to ensure the journalist’s death was investigated.

“In February 2024, we, the undersigned organizations, sent letters by email and post requesting action on Pelumi’s case.

“The letters were sent to the offices of:
Fayoade Adegoke, Lagos State Commissioner of Police ; Lawal Pedro, Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice; Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos State Commissioner of Information and Strategy; and Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State Governor.

“The only response we received was on March 20, 2024, from the Lagos State government, indicating that an ‘internal investigation’ was underway and the findings would be communicated in ‘due course’.

“This answer, after nearly four years of waiting for investigations into Pelumi’s death to conclude, is insufficient and only extends his family’s trauma.

“Without accountability, Pelumi’s case will add to several other unresolved killings of journalists in Nigeria, perpetuating a culture of impunity and promoting self-censorship.

“In this context, we request that your office act to ensure: Onifade Emmanuel Pelumi’s remains are released to his family; an effective and impartial investigation into the killing of the journalist and that those responsible are held to account; and,
rights-respecting policing in Lagos.”