In the heart of Lagos Island’s bustling Broad Street, the Afriland Tower stands as a gleaming symbol of financial prowess.

The glassy seven-storey building houses offices of the United Bank for Africa, Federal Inland Revenue Service, and United Capital Plc, among others.

But on Tuesday afternoon, it transformed into a suffocating death trap.

A fire that began innocuously in the basement inverter room around 1pm spiraled into a catastrophe and claimed 10 lives, with many more injured.

As the smoke billowed and panic ensued, survivors like Adewale and Kachi found themselves fighting for every breath.

Adewale, a soft-spoken office worker on the fifth floor, recalls the moment the ordinary workday turned nightmarish.

“We just noticed the light tripped off, and it was taking unusually long to come back on,” he said.

He spoke to Saturday PUNCH outside Avon Medical Hospital in Surulere, where he sought treatment for smoke inhalation.

According to him, power outages in the tower were usually brief, most times resolved by the building’s inverters.

But this time, over 20 minutes passed without power being restored.

“Everybody became apprehensive, and suddenly we started seeing thick smoke. That was when everybody started running.”

Improvising in the chaos, Adewale said he soaked his tie in water and pressed it to his face like a makeshift mask.

Visibility dropped to zero as the fumes filled the corridors.

“The smoke was so thick that we could not see anything,” he added.

“I think it was just the grace of God that I was able to come out. Inside the thick smoke, I just followed one person and was able to make it to the ground floor.”

He suspected that the victims perished near the basement entrance, where the fire originated, blocking their path.

“The people who died were those who passed through the basement. The fire started in the inverter room close to the entry, and that was why some people could not come out,” he added.

On the second floor, Kachi experienced a similar terror.

He first spotted the smoke while heading downstairs, but it wasn’t yet overwhelming.

While racing back up to alert colleagues, he returned to find the area engulfed.

“Before I returned, the whole place had been covered with thick smoke.”

While struggling to breathe, he said he shouted for help as others clambered toward broken windows.

“I almost passed out because I couldn’t breathe. We couldn’t go through the main entrance because it was almost impossible to see the road. People started struggling to pass through the window. I became very tired. How I came out was only God.”

Aside from Avon Medical Hospital, Saturday PUNCH gathered that other victims were admitted to the Lagos Island General Hospital and St. Nicholas Hospital.

An official of the general hospital confirmed that some of the injured were brought there for treatment.

“Most of them have been discharged, while others are still under medical care. The situation was chaotic, but many lives were saved because of the swift response of the people,” he added.

Also, an official of St. Nicholas Hospital, Campbell Street, confirmed that some of the injured were admitted to the facility.

He declined further comment.

Two of the occupants of Afriland Tower, Federal Inland Revenue Service, and United Capital Plc, were plunged into mourning following the loss of 10 staff members.

For the FIRS, the tragedy claimed four personnel who were on duty when the fire started.

They were identified as George Faith Ekelikhostse, David Sunday-Jatto, Nkem Onyemelukwe, and Peter Ifaranmaye.

Ekelikhoste, 58, who rose to the position of Assistant Director, served the agency for 32 years. Sunday-Jatto, another Assistant Director, had put in 15 years of service before his death.

A Facebook user, Halima Mohammed, described Sunday-Jatto as a kind man who was devoted to his family.

She noted that he had a daughter, Nicole, and fondly referred to him as “Daddy Nicole.”

Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, Mohammed added, “Mr Jatto did not have any problems. Whenever he was around, we felt his presence. He was a man full of life and very humble. Death really took a rare gem.”

Ifaranmaye, 48, a Manager at the FIRS, had worked for nine years before his passing.

Similarly, Mrs. Onyemelukwe, a 55-year-old Senior Manager, had served for 13 years before her death.

Odozie Aku, an Instagram user, claimed the deceased was her aunt.

She wrote, “I lost my aunty to this mishap… left home for work and never returned. So tragic and hard to bear. Thirteen years of dedicated work taken away by people’s negligence in just a twinkle of an eye. That inverter was due for maintenance, but they kept pushing it until it became disastrous. God will judge.”

Olumide: Dead a day to birthday, buried two days later’

Saturday PUNCH identified three of the UCP workers as Jesutoni Shodipo (21), Opeyemi Oloyede (28) and Kehinde Adeoye (36). They all worked in the compliance department.

Others are Olumide Oyefodunrin (26) and Ndidi Osaemedike-Okeke (41), workers in the Trustees department, and Rebecca Adenuga (28), who was in the Wealth Management Department.

A legal practitioner, Janet Ologunde, mourned Osaemedike-Okeke and Oyefodunrin.

Ologunde, who is the Principal Partner at Ireoluwa Chambers. She expressed her grief in a Facebook post, describing the news as devastating.

She said she had watched Oyefodunrin grow up in Ebute-Metta, noting that he was hardworking, respectful, and humble.

The lawyer further disclosed that his birthday was only a day away when he died.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that Oyefodunrin was buried on Friday.

A colleague, Busayomi Popoola, wrote on Instagram, “Rest in Peace, Olumide Oyefodunrin! I would never have thought that I would be typing or saying this so soon, but it is well.”

On Facebook, one Apotieri Oluwa, while mourning her friend, Adeoye, a nursing mother, wrote, “The mother who had just returned from maternity leave was my personal person. She used to work at my former place of work before she moved there. I used to ride with her. I’m glad she died in Christ.”

Another user, Deborah Dapo, paid tributes to Adeoye.

“Kenny (Adeoye) was a sweet soul, this hurts so bad! She picked me up every morning too before I changed jobs. I am so sad.”

Also, another IG user, J. Chiemeke, wrote, “I’ve been in conversation with former colleagues. We are all so hurt. As we learn more about the lurid, harrowing details, it’s even more heartbreaking. Olumide was the coolest—great guy, minding his business. This isn’t even making sense. Why is there no efficient emergency response framework in such a building? I’m livid!”

Omoragbon Nosakhare, while mourning Oloyede, prayed for her soul to rest in peace.

Faulty inverter, emergency alarm

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire originated from the inverter room in the basement before spreading to other parts of the building.

The Deputy Controller General of the service, Ogabi Olajide, said the fire quickly filled multiple floors with smoke, causing panic among staff and customers who struggled to find escape routes.

But first responders pointed fingers at the building’s systemic failures.

A trader and regular visitor to the tower, Omolara Ogunsola, alleged that the emergency alarm and exit were faulty.

Ogunsola recalled how a staircase that once served as an escape route was blocked during renovation works.

“During the renovation, the step at the side of the building was blocked. The last time there was a fire incident here, they rang the alarm and everyone escaped through the step. When they blocked it, I wondered how people would get out in the next emergency. Now we have seen the result.”

Ogunsola lamented that nearly two hours passed before the smoke overcame those trapped inside.

“From coming to the office to work, now they are calling their family members to meet them at the mortuary to identify their loved ones.”

She stressed that routine checks, carried out every three to six months, could have prevented the calamity.

People who work around the vicinity also revealed that it was not the first time Afriland Tower would have a safety issue.

“The last time there was a fire incident in this building, the alarm went off immediately, and everyone came out safely through the staircase. Why would the safe passage in a high-rise building be blocked?” Ogunsola added.

One of the first responders to the scene, Fasasi Adeniyi, pointed out that the inverter had shown repeated signs of fault.

He said, “This last Sunday, the inverter exploded, and the same thing happened last month. They knew it was faulty, but they kept repairing it instead of changing it completely. If they had replaced the entire system, this would never have happened.”

Adeniyi claimed that one of the deceased was a pregnant woman.

“One of the deceased family member’s came around that day. Their daughter called them from inside the building to say she could not make it out because there was no emergency exit. That lady was pregnant. How can you build a building without an emergency exit and alarm?

“Her husband was weeping uncontrollably, and her mother was in shock. It was heartbreaking. That call from inside the building was the last time they heard from her. She died inside because there was no way out.”

He noted that survivors managed to escape after passers-by broke the sealed glass walls.

“If not that the people inside made sure they destroyed those glasses, the death toll would have been more than what we have. Some survivors came down using ropes because all other options were gone. A modern high-rise building should not turn into a death trap like this,” Adeniyi added.

A video clip obtained by Saturday PUNCH showed the distraught relatives of the pregnant woman who died in the blaze.

Her husband, visibly inconsolable, struggled to process the tragedy, while her mother sat nearby in evident discomfort, overcome with grief.

The atmosphere reflected pain and anguish as the family mourned their loss even before she was brought out of the building.

A trader in the community, Akanmu Oladapo, described one of the deceased workers as a kind, generous woman, who had only recently married and given birth.

Oladapo said, “She got married last year and gave birth around June last year. She drove a red car. Now she is gone, leaving behind her child and young husband. It is painful beyond words.”

A member of the impromptu rescue group, Fatai Olawale, said the smoke made visibility impossible as trapped workers tried to access the staircase.

He said, “They could not open the staircase door with their access card. They had to retreat and smash the glass. I heard the security men say the staircase itself was not functioning. Only when they broke the windows did the smoke begin to escape. When they came out, they looked dark, almost blackened by the smoke. It was as if death itself had marked them.”

A trader who left his stall to help, Eze Obinna, recounted the moment some of the survivors escaped the scene.

“One man I know jumped from the sixth floor despite his stature. He went into the car park and that was the end. People tried to carry him away, but it was too late. Traders and residents rushed in to help victims before the fire service arrived. All we heard was security men shouting ‘fire’ without any proper alarm. It was a terrible day.”

He said Lagosians showed bravery in the face of chaos.

“Traders and residents did all they could. They used ropes, ladders, and even bare hands to support the people jumping down. Without them, the death toll would have doubled.”

President mourns as Sanwo-Olu orders probe

President Bola Tinubu, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu have commiserated with families, organisations, and traders affected by the tragedy.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described the tragedy as a painful tragedy.

He called for greater caution, training, and alertness to forestall such emergencies in the future.

The president’s wife also condoled with the people of Lagos state, and affected institutions.

She prayed for the peaceful repose of the deceased and quick healing for the injured.

Sanwo-Olu, in a separate statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, described the incident as “unfortunate and shocking.”

The governor, while ordering a probe into the incident, commended emergency responders for their intervention. (Saturday PUNCH)