Court Orders Exhumation, Autopsy of Afriland Towers Fire Victims

A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has directed Femi Falana Chambers to begin the process of exhuming and conducting autopsies on ten victims of the Afriland Towers fire incident, which occurred on September 16, 2025, in Lagos State.

Presiding Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji issued the order on Tuesday after learning that some of the deceased 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 ruled.

The order followed a petition dated September 29, 2025, submitted by Femi Falana Chambers to the Chief Coroner of Lagos State, Justice Mojisola Dada, seeking a coroner’s inquest to determine the cause of death and ensure accountability for the tragedy.

During the preliminary sitting, Magistrate Adetunji directed all involved parties to file the necessary applications ahead of the next hearing.

The court also summoned several institutions, including the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Fire Service, Afriland Towers, United Capital, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), and the Lagos State Safety Commission, among others.

The petitioner was further instructed to engage with the families of the deceased to identify those willing to permit exhumation for autopsy purposes, while eyewitnesses were urged to come forward with testimonies.

Yahaya Atata, representing Falana’s chambers, told the court that the session was aimed at uniting all stakeholders and outlining the framework for the inquest.

However, Magistrate Adetunji noted that legal representatives were not fully prepared, stressing that the inquest could not proceed until all relevant documents had been filed.

Counsel A. O. Mema, representing one of the deceased, informed the court that his client, Peter Ifaranmaye, a manager at the FIRS, had already been buried.

In response, Magistrate Adetunji insisted that conducting an autopsy was “fundamental”, adding:

“We cannot just hold an inquest; there must be an autopsy to know exactly what happened.”

The matter was adjourned to November 26, 2025, for further proceedings.