The Ondo State Government has invoked a coroner’s inquest to unravel the cause and circumstances surrounding the controversial death of the late Registrar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Mr. Ezekiel Imole Adeniran.

While disclosing this on Tuesday, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo SAN, stated that the move became imperative over the insistence of the family of the deceased that Adeniran was forced to drink poison.

There were also controversies, according to Ajulo, over claims that the late Adeniran took his own life by purchasing and drinking poisonous substances following a white paper that indicted him and recommended his dismissal.

The lifeless body of the 41-year-old deceased registrar, who was appointed on January 6, 2025, was discovered in his residence in Akure, the state capital, in the early hours of July 17, 2025.

Following his sudden demise, the Ondo State Police Command confirmed that Adeniran was assassinated, with the Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, emphasising that “two men came out of the bush, and they forced a substance into the other deceased person’s mouth.”

With the Attorney-General stressing that the inquest would be conducted under the provisions of the Coroners Law of the state, he urged the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Olusegun Ayedun Odusola, to assign a coroner to enquire into the death of the deceased Registrar.

The Chief Legal Officer of the state, who requested that a magistrate within the appropriate jurisdiction be assigned to serve as coroner, stated that reports indicated that the late Adeniran died under questionable circumstances.

According to him, in the interest of the public, 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.

“Following briefing and information at my disposal, I believe that in the public interest, a formal inquiry in the form of a coroner’s inquest is warranted,” Ajulo stated.

Meanwhile, acting on the request, Justice Odusola appointed Dr Dickson Ogunfuyi, a Chief Magistrate and Head of the Ondo State Multi-Door Court, to serve as the coroner.