COURT ORDERS EXHUMATION, AUTOPSY OF AFRILAND TOWERS FIRE VICTIMS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the exhumation and autopsy of 10 victims who died in the Afriland Towers fire incident that occurred on September 16, 2025, on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji issued the directive on Tuesday after learning that some of the victims had already been buried.
“The petitioner should write to the Lagos State Government for the exhumation of the dead victims and carry out an autopsy,” Magistrate Adetunji said.
The court’s order followed a petition dated September 29, 2025, from Femi Falana Chambers to the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Justice Mojisola Dada, seeking a coroner’s inquest to uncover the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure accountability.
During the preliminary proceedings, the magistrate directed all parties to file necessary applications before the next sitting and summoned relevant agencies and stakeholders, including United Bank for Africa, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Safety Commission, Fire Service, Afriland Towers, and United Capital.
She also instructed the petitioner to liaise with families of the deceased to determine those willing to allow exhumation for autopsy, while calling on eyewitnesses to come forward to provide testimonies.
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Yahaya Atata, counsel from Falana’s chambers, told the court that the session was intended to engage all interested parties and outline the modalities for the inquest.
A lawyer representing one of the deceased, A. O. Mema, informed the court that his client, Peter Ifaranmaye a manager at FIRS had already been buried. In response, Magistrate Adetunji stressed that an autopsy remained “fundamental” to the inquest.
The matter was adjourned to November 26, 2025, for further proceedings.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of September 16, 2025, claimed at least 10 lives and injured several others. Eyewitnesses said the blaze spread rapidly through multiple floors before emergency services could contain it.
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