The Coroner presiding over the inquest into the Afriland Tower fire in Lagos, which claimed 10 lives, has directed human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, to formally request the exhumation and autopsy of victims already buried, in order to determine the precise cause of death.
Presiding Coroner Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji issued the directive during a preliminary sitting of the inquest in Lagos, following submissions that some victims of the September 16 tragedy had been interred without post-mortem examinations.
Magistrate Adetunji instructed Falana—represented at the session by his counsel, Yahya Atata—to write to the Lagos State Government seeking authorization for the exhumation and forensic examination of the bodies. She noted, however, that the families of the deceased cannot be compelled to participate if they choose not to.
“Mr. Falana is to identify which of the deceased have been buried, which have not, and those families willing to consent to exhumation for autopsy,” the Coroner directed.
The Coroner also issued summonses to several organizations linked to the incident, including the United Bank for Africa (UBA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), United Capital, the Federal and Lagos State Fire Services, the Lagos State Safety Commission, and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA). The families of the victims are also to appear before the court for the inquest.
Magistrate Adetunji further invited any other interested parties to formally declare their interest in the proceedings.
The inquest stems from a petition dated September 29, 2025, in which Falana urged the Lagos Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada, to investigate the Afriland Tower inferno that occurred on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
In the petition, Falana requested that the state initiate an official inquiry in accordance with Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law (2007), which mandates an inquest into deaths that occur under violent, unnatural, or suspicious circumstances.
He also asked that the Coroner make recommendations to prevent future occurrences of similar tragedies.
The matter has been adjourned to November 26, 2025, for further proceedings.
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