•Femi Falana
The Coroner conducting an inquest to determine the circumstances leading to the cause of the deaths of 10 individuals in a recent fire at Afriland Tower, Lagos has directed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, to demand that the state government exhume and conduct an autopsy on the corpses already buried.
The Coroner, Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, asked Falana, who is the petitioner in the inquest, to write to the state government to make the demands after a lawyer to one of the deceased persons told the court that some of the fire incident victims had already been buried and conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death is crucial.
The Coroner has also stated that the families of such persons cannot be compelled to participate in the process if they have already buried their dead, reports Channels TV.
Though Falana was not present in court, he was represented at the preliminary meeting of the inquest by his counsel Yahya Atata.
Magistrate Adetunji also instructed the petitioner to meet with the families to identify those who had been buried, those had not, and those willing to have their deceased exhumed for autopsy.
The Coroner also summoned United Bank for Africa (UBA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), United Capital, both the Federal and Lagos State Fire Services, the Lagos State Safety Commission, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, and the families of the deceased persons to appear before her for the inquest.
Magistrate Adetunji also called on any other interested parties to file their application stating their interest in the proceedings.
By a letter dated September 29, 2025, Falana had urged the Lagos Chief Coroner, Justice Mojisola Dada, to conduct an inquest to determine the actual cause of the tragic incident incident of September 16, 2025 at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
Falana also urged the state to initiate a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of the individuals and make appropriate recommendations under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law, 2007, which stipulates that an inquest shall be conducted whenever a coroner is informed of a death that occurred under violent, unnatural, or suspicious circumstances.
The Coroner is also to make recommendations to avoid a reoccurrence of the sad incident.
Magistrate Adetunji has adjourned further proceedings to November 26.
