The Ondo State government has mandated a coroner’s inquest to uncover the cause and circumstances surrounding the contentious death of Ezekiel Imole Adeniran, Registrar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, said the move was prompted by the insistence of the deceased’s family that Adeniran was forced to ingest poison. He added that varying accounts of the incident have emerged, including allegations that the 41-year-old took his own life after consuming a poisonous substance, reportedly in reaction to a white paper that indicted him and recommended his dismissal.
Adeniran, appointed on January 6, 2025, was discovered dead at his Akure home on the morning of July 17, 2025. While some reports suggest suicide, the Ondo State Police Command has claimed it was an assassination, with police spokesperson Olayinka Ayanlade stating that “two men came out of the bush and forced a substance into the deceased’s mouth.”
Ajulo explained that the inquiry would be conducted in accordance with the state’s Coroners Law. He requested that Chief Judge Justice Olusegun Ayedun Odusola assign a magistrate to serve as coroner, stressing that the death occurred under suspicious circumstances and warranted a formal investigation to determine both cause and potential criminal liability.
Acting on this request, Justice Odusola appointed Dr. Dickson Ogunfuyi, Chief Magistrate and Head of the Ondo State Multi-Door Court, to preside over the inquest.
