The Coroner’s Court investigating the tragic fire that claimed ten lives at Afriland Tower in Lagos has directed human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) to request that the state government exhume and conduct an autopsy on the victims already buried.
Presiding Coroner, Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, gave the directive during the preliminary sitting of the inquest in Lagos. The order came after a lawyer representing one of the deceased informed the court that some of the victims had already been buried, emphasizing that an autopsy is vital to determine the exact cause of death.
According to Mediaplusng.com, Magistrate Adetunji explained that the families of those who have buried their loved ones cannot be compelled to participate in the autopsy process. She therefore instructed the petitioner, Mr. Falana, through his counsel Yahya Atata, to write formally to the Lagos State Government, requesting permission to exhume the bodies for examination.
The Coroner also advised the petitioner to meet with the victims’ families to identify those who have buried their dead, those who have not, and those willing to allow an autopsy through exhumation.
In addition, the Coroner summoned key stakeholders including the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), United Capital, the Federal and Lagos State Fire Services, Lagos State Safety Commission, and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to appear before the court. Families of the deceased and other interested parties have also been invited to file applications stating their interest in the proceedings.
Mediaplusng.com reports that Femi Falana, through a letter dated September 29, 2025, had earlier written to the Lagos Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada, urging an inquest to determine the actual cause of the September 16, 2025 fire incident at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island. He cited Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law, 2007, which mandates an inquest into any death occurring under violent, unnatural, or suspicious circumstances.
The Coroner, in line with the law, is also expected to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence of such tragic incidents in the future.
The matter has been adjourned to November 26, 2025, for further hearing.
