A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has ordered Femi Falana Chambers to conduct an exhumation and autopsy on the ten victims of the Afriland Towers fire on September 16, 2025, in Lagos.
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 directive came when Femi Falana Chambers sent a letter to Justice Mojisola Dada, the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, on September 29, 2025.
Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), through his chambers, petitioned the Lagos State Judiciary for a coroner’s inquest to determine the circumstances of the deaths and guarantee accountability.
During the preliminary sessions, Magistrate Adetunji asked all parties present to submit their applications before the next hearing.
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 directed the petitioner to contact the families of the deceased to establish their willingness to have their relatives exhumed for autopsy.
She also encouraged eyewitnesses to offer evidence on the incident.
Falana’s lawyer, Yahaya Atata, stated that the day’s proceedings were intended to engage all interested parties and outline the coroner’s inquest procedures.
However, the magistrate noted that the lawyers were not fully prepared and that the inquest could not proceed until all necessary documents and applications were filed.
A. O. Mema, the lawyer for one of the deceased, 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 on conducting an autopsy.
“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 case until November 26, 2025.
On September 16, 2025, a fire broke out at the Afriland Towers, a commercial complex on Broad Street, Lagos Island, killing at least 10 people and injuring many more.
Eyewitnesses reported that the blaze spread quickly through multiple floors before emergency services could contain it.
