Four years later, DNA test confirms fate of missing #EndSARS journalist Pelumi Onifade

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of journalist Pelumi Onifade during the 2020 #EndSARS protests has finally been resolved after DNA test results confirmed that an unidentified body deposited at an Ikorodu mortuary belongs to him.

Pelumi, who was covering the youth-led protests, reportedly went missing after he was arrested by police officers in Agege on October 24, 2020, despite identifying himself as a journalist and wearing a press jacket.

Following years of uncertainty, a magistrate confirmed that DNA results matched a sample provided by Pelumi’s mother with the previously unidentified body recovered in Ikorodu.

“The DNA results established a match between the previously unidentified body and the sample provided by Pelumi’s mother,” the court heard.

The development comes nearly four years after a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government to conduct a coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death and directed the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to carry out a post-mortem examination.

LASUTH had earlier disclosed that identification efforts were delayed after DNA samples stored at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre were destroyed during the #EndSARS unrest.

The confirmation has brought a painful but long-awaited closure to Pelumi’s family, who spent years searching for answers about his whereabouts.

The development has also sparked emotional reactions online, with many Nigerians calling for justice and accountability.

Pelumi’s legal team is now seeking an autopsy to determine the exact cause of his death. The matter has been adjourned until July 7, 2026.