Court orders exhumation, postmortem of Afriland Towers fire victims
A Chief Magistrate Court in Yaba, Lagos, has instructed Femi Falana Chambers to seek the exhumation and autopsy of 10 victims of the Afriland Towers fire incident, which occurred on September 16, 2025, in Lagos.
Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji gave 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 directive followed a letter from Femi Falana Chambers dated September 29, 2025, addressed to the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Justice Mojisola Dada.
Mr Femi Falana (SAN), through his chambers, petitioned the Lagos State Judiciary, seeking a coroner’s inquest to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and ensure accountability.
During the preliminary proceedings, Magistrate Adetunji directed all parties present to submit the necessary applications before the next sitting.
The court also summoned the United Bank for Africa, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Fire Service, Afriland Towers, United Capital, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission, and other interested parties.
Adetunji further ordered the petitioner to liaise with the families of the deceased to determine those willing to have their relatives exhumed for autopsy.
She also called for eyewitnesses to come forward and provide evidence on the incident.
Yahaya Atata, a lawyer from Falana’s chambers, told the court that the day’s proceedings were meant to engage all interested parties and outline the modalities for the coroner’s inquest.
However, the magistrate noted that the lawyers were not fully prepared and stressed that the inquest could only proceed after all necessary documents and applications had been filed.
A lawyer representing one of the deceased, A. O. Mema, informed the court that his client, Peter Ifaranmaye, a manager at the Federal Inland Revenue Service, had already been buried.
Following the information, Magistrate Adetunji insisted that an autopsy was essential.
“Autopsy is fundamental. We cannot just hold an inquest; there must be an autopsy to know exactly what happened,” she said.
The court adjourned the matter till November 26, 2025, for further proceedings.
The fire incident had broken out at the Afriland Towers, a commercial complex on Broad Street, Lagos Island, on September 16, 2025, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others.
Eyewitnesses said the blaze started in the early hours of the morning and quickly spread through multiple floors before emergency services could contain it.
