Afriland: Four senior FIRS staff, unknown number of Heirs Holdings staff confirmed dead
The Afriland Tower fire of Tuesday claimed many lives after all. Four senior staff members of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have now been confirmed dead.
An unknown number of staff of Heirs Holdings have also been confirmed dead by the Group Chairman of the organisation, Tony Elumelu.
Recall that Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos, was gutted by fire yesterday, Tuesday, September 16, 2025.
No information was available on the casualties. The authorities only gave information about those who were rescued, resuscitated and evacuated to the hospital.
FIRS said its staff who died in the incident were trapped while on duty at one of the two FIRS offices located on the sixth and seventh floors of the building.
Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, in a statement, listed the deceased staff as Mr David Sunday-Jatto, Assistant Director; Mrs Ekelikhostse George, Assistant Director; Mrs Nkem Onyemelukwe, Senior Manager; and Mr Peter Ifaranmaye, Manager.
The statement disclosed that its Medium Tax Audit and Onikan Emerging Tax Office were housed on the sixth and seventh floors of Afriland Tower.
Adekanmbi said the Management and entire staff of the organisation were in deep shock and sorrow over the development.
Similarly, Heirs Holdings confirmed that some of its staff members died in the tragic incident.
Heirs Holdings, founded by Tony Elumelu, is an investment company with interests in power, real estate, hospitality, and financial services.
Elumelu, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, said he was shattered by the incident, adding that no words could capture the magnitude of the loss.
The Group Chairman disclosed that he had aborted his plan to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York to return to Lagos “as a mark of respect to our lost colleagues.”
He promised to convene colleagues in a memorial to honour the memories of the departed and provide support to their families.
