Tragic! One of 4 FIRS staff who died in Afriland Towers fire came to hand over

“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living” — Marcus Tullius Cicero

A heartbreaking report has emerged that Mr. David Sunday-Jatto, an Assistant Director at Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, who also died in Tuesday’s Lagos office fire, was at the place to hand over to his successor.

It would be recalled that two fire incidents occurred simultaneously on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, torching some buildings in Mandilas, Lagos Island and the Afriland Towers on Broad Street also in Lagos Island.

Seven victims have ben confirmed killed in the fire that engulfed Afriland Towers, a building that serves as offices for several organisation including FIRS which four directors and UBA that also lost some staff members.

Read Also: Traders bemoan losses, UBA and FIRS mourn staff members lost in Lagos fire

Sunday-Jatto was said to have been transfered to a new branch and was in the office that day to hand over to his successor when he was caught in the raging fire.

“A very unassuming person, he was just transferred elsewhere and he came to the office on that day to hand over formally to his successor when the incident happened and took his life alongside eight others” sources narrated.

Some workers at the ill-fated building have expressed deep sorrow over the loss, describing it as a “devastating blow” to the entire workforce.

One of the workers, who identified himself simply as John, said those who were present at the time of the incident panicked when the fire alarm started ringing.

“At first, we thought it was something that would be easily contained by the tower’s internal emergency workers, but the smoke from the source of fire quickly spread, covering the staircase.

“Those who were on the ground floor, up to the second floor, raced out of the building, but many people sustained varying degrees of injuries. I was able to quickly exit the building. At this time, the light stopped working. Those who ran down the stairs tripped and fell while climbing down the staircase.

“We have been thrown into deep mourning by the loss of these dedicated and hardworking senior staff of FIRS,” he said.

‘How they died’

Sources told our correspondent that the four FIRS officers died of suffocation while trying to escape from the building.

Besides, rescue operations were said to be slow with workers in the building scampering for safety and falling in the process.  

“Thick smoke had already engulfed the building as a result of the fire. It is unfortunate that there were no functional smoke detectors in the building. This is really avoidable. It is so sad that our fire readiness is nothing to write home about,” another eyewitness said.

It was learnt that one of the directors, David Sunday-Jatto, who died in the inferno, was in the office briefly to hand over, having been transferred to another branch.

“He was an unassuming person, he was just transferred elsewhere and he came to the office on that day to hand over formally to his successor when the incident happened and took his life alongside eight others,” sources narrated.

Shola Oladimeji, a petty trader opposite the building, told Daily Trust that those who escaped from the building were already exhausted and were choking as a result of the thick smoke from the fire.

“You can imagine that some of the trapped workers jumped down from the third and fourth floors of the building. It was very horrific because everything started, and within minutes it had spread,” she said.

The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the entire area, with many traders taking to social media to express their condolences and outrage over the tragedy.

FIRS response

The management and staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), in a statement, expressed deep mourning and grief over the death of four staff members in the fire incident .

A statement by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, gave the names of the affected staff as Mrs Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), Mr David Sunday-Jatto (assistant director), Mrs Nkem Onyemelukwe (senior manager) and Mr 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, Broad Street, Lagos, on Tuesday.

“FIRS is one of the tenants occupying the towers, with our Medium Tax Audit and Onikan Emerging Tax Office housed on the sixth and seventh floors.

“Our Security and Safety officials quickly mobilised and contacted the fire service as soon as they were alerted. On getting to the scene, thick dark smoke was already billowing out of the building.

“The Management and entire staff are in deep shock and sorrow over the development. They offer their condolences to the grieving families and are in touch with the families of our departed colleagues whose commitment to excellence, dedication and professionalism were never in doubt. We will provide all the necessary support at this trying time.

“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.

Elumelu reacts

Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, has disclosed that United Bank for Africa (UBA) staff members died in the fire outbreak.

Speaking in a statement on Wednesday, Elumelu, who is also the chairman of UBA, said he was shattered by the fire outbreak, describing the inferno as a devastating incident.

UBA has a space in the six-storey building.

Elumelu, who did not disclose the number of casualties recorded in the incident, 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, those who walk through our doors each day and share our mission.”

The UBA boss further revealed that he learnt of the fire outbreak while on his way to the United States, en route to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

He, however, said he had cut short his foreign trip to return to Lagos as “a mark of respect to our lost colleagues.”

Elumelu, who enjoined all Heirs Holdings staff to reach out to those receiving treatment, added: “In the coming days, we will convene colleagues in a memorial to honour the memories of the departed, as we provide support to their families.”

He also thanked emergency responders and first aid workers, as well as members of the public, for showing courage and compassion.