Six years after losing her son during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, Bosede Onifade has made a heartbreaking appeal to authorities to release the remains of her son, Pelumi Onifade, so the family can finally lay him to rest.

Pelumi, a 20-year-old Mass Communication student and intern with Gboah TV, disappeared on October 24, 2020, while covering the #EndSARS protest in Abule Egba, Lagos.

ALSO READ: Tinubu Pushes State Police, Sends Constitutional Amendment Bill to Reps

Eyewitnesses alleged that the young journalist was struck by a bullet before operatives of the Lagos State Police Taskforce reportedly bundled him into a vehicle alongside arrested protesters.

His whereabouts remained unknown for years, leaving his family in anguish.

A major breakthrough came on June 24, 2026, when a coroner’s inquest confirmed through DNA testing that a body labelled 1385 at a mortuary was Pelumi’s.

The DNA matched a sample provided by his mother, ending years of uncertainty over his fate.

The confirmation followed an August 2024 judgment by Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which directed the Lagos State Government to conduct a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of Pelumi’s death and identify those responsible.

The order was issued after a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda against the police and the Lagos State Government.

Reacting to the outcome of the inquest, Bosede appealed to the authorities to release her son’s body, saying the family deserves the opportunity to give him a proper burial.

“We want them to release his body. If they have already killed him, they should give his body to us to bury,” she said.

She maintained that her son was innocent and condemned the circumstances surrounding his death.

“He was not doing anything wrong. Even if he was doing something wrong, they could have arrested him and not kill him in cold blood.”

Bosede also spoke about the emotional and financial burden the family’s six-year search for justice has placed on her, revealing that she has suffered depression and memory lapses while raising Pelumi’s two younger sisters through proceeds from selling homemade ogi (pap).

Speaking on reports of compensation for victims’ families, she questioned whether any amount of money could replace her son.

“They said they would give families of the victims some money, but will it bring my son back to life?”

She, however, added that any financial support could help provide for Pelumi’s younger siblings.

“But at least we can use it to take care of his siblings. I know that whatever Pelumi couldn’t do for us, his siblings would.”
Despite the years that have passed, Bosede said she remains committed to preserving her son’s memory.

“Many people try to start calling me by his siblings’ names; I tell them not to do it because his name will never depart from my household.”

The #EndSARS protests erupted across Nigeria in October 2020 as demonstrations against police brutality and abuses linked to the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The protests later evolved into broader calls for police reform, accountability and good governance.

The fight against the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces a major setback as frontline health workers have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over months of unpaid salaries and allowances.

The protest comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the true scale of the outbreak could be between two and four times higher than official figures.

SEE ALSO: Panic in Europe as France Records First-Ever Ebola Case

According to the latest official data released on Tuesday, the outbreak, which was declared on May 15, has claimed more than 700 lives, with nearly 2,000 confirmed infections across the country.

Health workers stationed at the Ebola treatment centre in Rwampara, one of the hardest-hit areas in Ituri Province, staged a protest on Monday by burning tyres and temporarily blocking access to the facility.

“We’ve been treating Ebola patients without pay since May 15. We continue to do so because that is our oath but we are working in very difficult conditions,” doctor Pascal Bahoya said.

Medical personnel at the treatment centre warned that they would begin a “full-scale strike” without maintaining minimum services if authorities fail to honour their 48-hour ultimatum demanding payment of salaries and bonuses.

During a recent visit to Ituri, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba admitted that there had been delays in salary payments and assured health workers that the organisational issues responsible for the delay would be resolved.

The outbreak has placed enormous pressure on the country’s fragile healthcare system. According to the National Public Health Institute (INSP), at least 112 healthcare workers have contracted the virus, while 35 have died.

WHO also raised concerns that the epidemic may be significantly larger than official records suggest. Speaking in Geneva, WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu said the agency’s modelling indicates “the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times the number of cases that we have found.”

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the current outbreak has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, although a clinical trial involving two experimental treatments is currently underway.

The disease has spread beyond its epicentre in Ituri to North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Haut-Uele provinces, while neighbouring Uganda has also recorded 20 cases, including two deaths.

As of July 12, authorities said 727 patients were receiving treatment in Ebola treatment centres across affected regions.

Eastern DRC continues to grapple with decades of armed conflict, mass displacement and poor sanitation, factors that have complicated efforts to contain the virus.

Despite the challenges, the international community has mobilised approximately $1.5 billion to support the country’s Ebola response, although officials say the DRC’s chronically underfunded healthcare system remains under severe strain.

The Presidency has faulted Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, describing the request as unnecessary and politically motivated.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Federal Government has no objection to an international investigation if the governor believes there are unanswered questions surrounding the incident.

“The governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained,” Onanuga said.

SEE ALSO: Makinde Orders Schools to Recover Lost Learning Time After Orire Kidnappings

He, however, questioned the basis of the governor’s demand, insisting that no security agency would deliberately allow schoolchildren to remain in captivity for 56 days.

“Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?” he asked.

Onanuga noted that the rescue operation came at a huge cost, revealing that several security personnel, including soldiers and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, lost their lives during efforts to rescue the victims.

He also disclosed that one of the abducted teachers was killed while in captivity.

Describing the governor’s stance as politically motivated, the presidential spokesman accused Makinde, whom he referred to as a presidential aspirant, of lacking confidence in the country’s institutions.

“It is just unfortunate that Mr Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential candidate now, doesn’t have any trust in our own institutions and is now calling on an external body to come and investigate,” he said.

Onanuga further dismissed the governor’s request as unnecessary, alleging that he was attempting to politicise the incident.

“The man is just playing politics, and it is the politics of the bizarre. He wants to weaponise anything available, including dredging up a strange conspiracy theory,” he added.

Governor Makinde had earlier called for a UN-backed investigation while receiving the 45 rescued pupils and teachers formally handed over to the Oyo State Government after spending 56 days in captivity.

According to the governor, the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue deserve independent international scrutiny.

“I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, call on the appropriate international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution,” Makinde said.

He maintained that the request was not aimed at discrediting Nigerian institutions but at strengthening public confidence through transparency and accountability.

“This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring public confidence that every Nigerian child can go to school without fear,” the governor added.