ONDO — The Ondo State government has invoked the state’s Coroner’s Law to probe the controversial death of the Registrar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Mr. Ezekiel Adeniran.
In a letter to the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, called for a formal coroner’s inquest to unravel the cause and manner of the registrar’s death, which occurred on or about July 17, 2025.
Ajulo said credible reports suggested that Adeniran died under questionable circumstances, stressing that the investigation was in the public interest.
“A formal coroner’s inquest is necessary to ascertain the cause and manner of death, and to determine if any individual may bear criminal responsibility,” Ajulo stated, urging that a magistrate be appointed to serve as coroner in accordance with the provisions of the Coroners Law of Ondo State.
Acting on the request, Justice Odusola appointed Dr. Dickson Ogunfuyi, Chief Magistrate and Head of the Ondo State Multi-Door Court, to lead the inquest.
The move follows intense controversy over conflicting accounts of Adeniran’s demise. Initial reports claimed he died by suicide after allegedly purchasing and consuming poison following a government white paper that indicted him and recommended his dismissal. However, his family insists he was murdered, alleging unknown assailants forced the substance into his mouth.
The Ondo State Police Command has backed the family’s claim, with spokesperson Olayinka Ayanlade confirming: “From the information I have, two men came out of the bush and forced a substance into the man’s mouth.”
Adeniran, who assumed office as UNIMED’s third substantive Registrar on January 6, 2025, was described by colleagues as dedicated and hardworking. The university’s Head of Media and Protocol, Mr. Isaac Oluyi, said his death was “devastating,” while the Head of Human Resources, Mr. M. Akinkuade, lauded his immense contributions to the institution’s growth.
Ajulo assured that the inquest will be conducted with “full transparency and strict adherence to due process.”
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