FIRS and United Capital have confirmed the death. FIRS said it lost four of its staff members, UCP, on the other hand, lost six staff to the incident.

In a statement released by the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, the victims are identified as Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), David Sunday-Jatto (Assistant Director), Nkem Onyemelukwe (Senior Manager), and Peter Ifaranmaye (Manager).

The deceased were working on the sixth and seventh floors of the building, which houses two FIRS offices, when the tragedy occurred.

“It is with a heavy heart that FIRS announces the tragic loss of four of its staff members during the fire incident at Afriland Towers,” the statement read.

It added that its Security and Safety officials quickly contacted the fire service when alerted, but thick smoke had already engulfed the building.

FIRS said its management and staff are in deep shock and have reached out to the families of the deceased, promising to provide all necessary support.

“We are working in collaboration with all relevant agencies in Lagos to get to the root cause of the unfortunate incident. While this is going on, we will be reviewing safety measures across FIRS offices in both rented and owned buildings nationwide,” the statement said.

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The UCP also mourned the loss of its staff members, describing the fire victims as “an integral part” of  “our company and family”.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said that the fire originated in the inverter room located in Afriland Tower’s basement.

Eyewitnesses described chaotic moments, with screams echoing across Broad Street as smoke spread rapidly through the upper floors.

Source: Channel