A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the exhumation and autopsy of the 10 victims of the Afriland Towers fire to establish the cause of death before the coroner’s inquest begins.
A Yaba Chief Magistrate Court has directed Femi Falana Chambers to seek the exhumation and autopsy of 10 victims of the Afriland Towers fire incident, which occurred on September 16, 2025, in Lagos.
Senior Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji issued the order 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,” she ruled.
The directive followed a petition by Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) to the Lagos State Judiciary requesting a coroner’s inquest into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Magistrate Adetunji also summoned several parties, including the United Bank for Africa, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Fire Service, Afriland Towers, and Lagos emergency agencies.
She instructed the petitioner to consult the victims’ families to determine those willing to permit exhumation, stressing that “autopsy is fundamental” to uncovering the truth.
Lawyer Yahaya Atata, representing Falana’s chambers, said the proceedings aimed to engage all stakeholders ahead of the inquest.
The case was adjourned till November 26, 2025. The fire, which broke out at the Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, claimed at least 10 lives and injured several others.