By Our Reporter
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has confirmed the death of four of its officials in Tuesday’s fire outbreak at Afriland Towers, Broad Street, Lagos, even as Tony Elumelu, Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), expressed grief over the loss of the bank’s staff members in the same incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, listed the deceased officers as Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), David Sunday-Jatto (Assistant Director), Nkem Onyemelukwe (Senior Manager), and Peter Ifaranmaye (Manager).
“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 on Tuesday,” the statement read.
The tax agency disclosed that the inferno affected its Medium Tax Audit and Onikan Emerging Tax Offices located on the sixth and seventh floors of the building.
According to FIRS, its security team promptly alerted emergency responders once the fire broke out, but heavy smoke had already engulfed the building. The management pledged full support to the families of the deceased and said it was working with relevant Lagos agencies to determine the cause of the fire. It also promised a comprehensive review of safety measures across its offices nationwide.
Meanwhile, Elumelu, who chairs both UBA and Heirs Holdings, confirmed that some staff of the bank also lost their lives in the tragedy, though he did not disclose the number.
In an emotional statement, Elumelu said: “No words can capture the magnitude of this loss — not for their families who loved them, not for the friends who valued them, and not for those of us who worked beside them. Yesterday was a stark reminder of what truly matters: our irreplaceable people.”
The billionaire banker revealed he was en route to New York for the United Nations General Assembly when he received news of the fire, but cut short his trip to return to Lagos “as a mark of respect to our lost colleagues.”
He announced that UBA and Heirs Holdings will convene a memorial in honour of the departed, provide support to their families, and observe a minute of silence across all group companies. Elumelu also thanked emergency workers and members of the public for their courage and compassion during the crisis.
The Lagos fire incident has thrown both public and private institutions into mourning, with FIRS and UBA losing valuable staff in what authorities have described as one of the city’s deadliest corporate fire outbreaks in recent years.