Category Nigeria News

The coroner’s inquest into the cause of death of 10 people in the recent fire at the Afriland Tower on Broad Street will begin with a preliminary meeting next week Tuesday, October 14.

The coroner, Magistrate Atinuke Adetunji, assigned by the Chief Coroner of the Lagos State Judiciary disclosed this in letter written to the law firm of Falana & Falana’s Chambers

The inquest follows a formal request by the law firm of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana urging the Chief Coroner of Lagos State to conduct an inquest into the tragic incident of September 16.

The Coroner is also to make recommendations to avoid a reoccurrence of the sad incident.

By a letter dated Sept. 29, 2025, and signed by Taiwo Olawanle on behalf of the firm, the lawyers citing Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007, requested the inquest.

The letter reads, “We are a firm of legal practitioners committed to the defence of human rights, the rule of law, and public accountability in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Afriland Publishes Detailed FAQs On Towers Fire Incident

“It was alleged that 10 people lost their lives in the September 16, 2025, fire at Afriland Tower on Broad Street, Lagos Island. The victims included four officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and six workers of United Capital, who were trapped in the six-storey building after thick smoke engulfed the premises.

“Having regard to the avoidable tragic incident, we humbly request you to use your good offices to cause a coroner’s inquest to be conducted into the cause of the death of this sudden but avoidable death of these persons and make appropriate recommendations under Section 15 of the Lagos State Coroner’s Law 2007 which provides that an inquest shall hold whenever a coroner is informed that the death of a deceased person within his Coroner District is as a result of a death in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation.”

In his response dated Oct. 6, Senior Magistrate Adetunji on behalf of the Chief Coroner wrote, “Please be informed that your matter has been assigned to Coroner Court 9 of Igbosere District, sitting at Court 4, Yaba District. There would be a Preliminary Meeting with all parties to chart a course for the Inquest if one were to be convened.

“Your kind assistance is thus welcomed with detailed information of suggested stakeholders who must attend the said Meeting.

The Enugu State Government has charged the embattled Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, to “carry his cross” and personally clear his name before Nigerians.

This comes amid allegation of certificate forgery trailing the minister. He claimed to have graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as well as obtained his discharge certificate from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

In a statement, the Director of Information in the Ministry of Information and Communication, Chukwuemeka Nebo, said the state government had no involvement whatsoever in the controversies surrounding the minister’s academic record.

“The Enugu State Government dissociates itself completely from these allegations. The Honourable Minister must carry his own cross and clear his name before Nigerians, instead of dragging the government into issues that are entirely personal to him,” Nebo said.

The government’s statement followed reports that the minister invited journalists to a world press conference scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday to address the matter, but failed to appear.

“A large number of Nigerian and international journalists reportedly gathered on the minister’s invitation to hear directly from him. But rather than appear before them to answer questions and establish his innocence, the minister absconded, leaving behind proxies who could not withstand the barrage of legitimate questions from journalists,” the statement read.

READ ALSO: Science Minister Resigns After Certificate Forgery Allegation

Nebo questioned the minister’s decision to delegate such a sensitive and personal issue to aides instead of speaking directly to the media.

“Who can narrate Chief Nnaji’s UNN story better than him? Why invite the media, only to outsource the conference? Why send third parties, who lack the answers to critical questions, if he truly has nothing to hide?” he asked.

The Enugu State Government said the questions Nigerians are asking about Mr Nnaji’s academic history are legitimate and deserve direct answers from the minister himself.

“Did he, for his Senate screening, present a purported degree certificate showing that he graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in July 1985?

“Is it true that he deposed in a Federal High Court filing in Abuja that he was not issued any degree certificate by UNN and, if so, how did he come about the degree certificate he presented to the Senate?

“Is it also true that while he claims to have graduated in July 1985, he applied to the university to retake Virology (Course code: MCB 431) in the September 1985 supplementary examination, having failed the course?

“Is it correct that the university, in a letter dated November 8, 1985, informed Uche Nnaji that he again failed Virology (Course code: MCB 431) in the supplementary examination, but could register to retake the course in the June 1986 examination, provided he paid an examination fee of N4.00 (Four Naira)?

“Is it true that on January 3, 1986, he again applied to retake the same Virology examination in June 1986, stating in his letter that he had attached the receipt for the payment of the N4.00 resit fee?

“Is it also a fact that while claiming to possess a university degree, he submitted only his Secondary School WASC Certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 governorship election?

“Why did Uche Nnaji’s proxy at the Abuja press conference claim the minister ‘graduated,’ but stop short of affirming that he was issued a degree certificate?

“Did he also present a purported NYSC discharge certificate showing that he commenced his national service in April 1985 — three months before his supposed graduation — and served until July 1986, an irregular duration of 13 months instead of the statutory 12 months?

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen reiterated the green chamber’s commitment to reforming Nigeria’s electoral process as the House of Representatives resumed plenary.

He argued that one of the main objectives is to reduce costs and contentiousness of elections by allowing for single-day voting, and promote more democratic and inclusive party primaries.

In his welcome-back address to members, the Speaker also mentioned that the next two crucial legislative proposals, the State Police Bill and the Reserved Seats Bill, will be prioritized.

Also read: Akpabio claims that “We’ll Remain Accountable And Responsive” as the Senate resumes plenary.

Following Representative Obinna Aguocha’s intervention, which sought to raise a matter involving matters of privilege, the session suddenly became tense.

Aguocha made reference to a letter Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing terrorism-related charges, that he had previously written to both the Speaker and the President.

He expressed his frustration with the Speaker’s office’s inability to respond.

The lawmaker defended himself, insisting that he was acting within the House’s rules when the Speaker asked the speaker to step down and speak directly to his office.

A Tunisian man has been freed days after he was sentenced to death by a court in the North African country over Facebook posts deemed offensive to President Kais Saied, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The 51-year-old man, Saber Ben Chouchane, had been sentenced on charges including “spreading false news”, defence lawyer Oussama Bouthelja told AFP.

The Paris-based Tunisian human rights group CRLDHT had said the verdict set “a serious precedent” and that Tunisia had “reached unprecedented levels of human rights violations”.

Bouthelja told AFP that overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the man’s “family contacted me and said that he had returned and was at home”.

READ ALSO: 10 More US Deportees Jailed In Eswatini

He said he did not have the details of what had helped free his client — detained in January 2024 — and was waiting to hear more from the courts.

“The last action that I carried out as a lawyer was to file an appeal on Friday”, he said.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday by a court in Nabeul, east of Tunis, Bouthelja said.

Ben Chouchane was found guilty of “insulting the president, the minister of justice, and the judiciary”, and some of his posts were also deemed to be incitement.

Bouthelja&nbsp, said he had been “shocked, stunned, astonished” by the verdict, adding: “I didn’t believe it at first”.

Tunisian law says “an attack intended to change the state structure or incite residents to attack each other with weapons, causing chaos, murder and robbery on Tunisian soil” is punishable by death.

Tunisian courts continue to issue death sentences, though the country has not carried out executions since 1991.

Saied was elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy to come out of the Arab Spring.

But in 2021, he staged a sweeping power grab, and human rights groups have since warned of a rollback on freedoms.

Decree 54, the law criminalising “spreading false news”, was enacted by Saied in September 2022.

It has been criticised by rights groups for stifling free speech.

Dozens of Saied’s critics have been prosecuted under Decree 54 and are currently behind bars.

The Federal Government has charged personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS to continue to offer excellent services to its clients, declaring that efficient customer service is a right and not a privilege. 

Comptroller General of the Immigration Service CGIS, Kemi Nanna Nandap, gave the charge on Monday in Abuja when she declared open the 2025 SERVICOM Customer Service Week themed “Mission Possible” with the NIS sub-theme “Meeting and Exceeding Expectations.”

Nandap said the celebration provides an opportunity for officers to recommit themselves to professionalism, courtesy, timeliness, and citizens-centered service delivery.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service must not only meet expectations but exceed them,” she said. “Every passport issued, every permit processed, every encounter at our borders is a test of our professionalism and integrity. We must continue to build public trust and prove that we are a Service that delivers.”

READ ALSO: Alleged Terrorism: Absence Of Medical Report Stalls Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial

The Immigration chief reaffirmed that the Service remains on an irreversible path of reform and modernization in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She noted that since assuming office in 2024, her administration has implemented several reforms aimed at restoring the Service’s image and improving operational efficiency.

These include the introduction of passport automation and a contactless processing system to reduce physical interaction and eliminate bottlenecks.

“Others are the deployment of e-gates and body cameras at airports, enhancing border security while promoting transparency; and intensified sensitization campaigns across formations to combat corruption and entrench professionalism,” she said.

According to her, these reforms are yielding results, reflected in improved national ratings, commendations, and awards recently received by the NIS at government performance review retreats.

Nandap urged officers nationwide to use the Customer Service Week as a time to renew their commitment to excellence. “This celebration is not for fanfare. It is a solemn call to renew our pledge of service and institutionalize transparency, courtesy, and excellence as our standard culture,” she stated.

She also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for their continued support, noting that the reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda have curbed corruption and improved professionalism across the Service.

Earlier, the Special Assistant to the CGIS on SERVICOM and Reform Champion, Deputy Comptroller Muhammad Awwal Abubakar, described the Customer Service Week as “a call to reflection, action, and renewal,” emphasizing that customer service is a right owed to citizens.

“The theme ‘Mission Possible’ challenges public institutions to see obstacles as opportunities for innovation rather than excuses for inefficiency,” Abubakar said.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has described as unfortunate the fire incident that gutted a section of the State Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt on Monday evening.

The affected area, which serves as a creche for the babies of civil servants, was partly destroyed by the blaze.

Governor Fubara visited the site on Tuesday morning to personally assess the level of damage.

The governor was received at the Secretariat Complex by a crowd of jubilant civil servants, the Head of Service, and some Permanent Secretaries, including the newly sworn-in Austin Ezekiel-Hart.

Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Governor Fubara expressed gratitude to God that no life was lost, noting that the damage was restricted to a small section of the building.

“I came here this morning to see for myself what happened yesterday. It’s really unfortunate, but we give God all the glory that no life was lost and the damage was only in one section”, he said.

The governor explained that the incident would serve as a wake-up call to fast-track the planned renovation and refurbishing of the Secretariat Complex, which has been under consideration by his administration.

“We’ve been talking about the renovation of our foremost secretariat. With this particular incident, there should be no further delay. Whatever is required by this government to commence that process, we will immediately swing into action”, he assured.

Governor Fubara commended the state fire service firefighters for their prompt response, noting that previous investments made by his administration in the three fire service stations proved invaluable in containing the situation.

“Before the emergency rule, we took our time to invest in the fire service. I wonder what would have happened if we didn’t have a formidable and functional fire service”, he remarked.

He also appreciated civil servants for their dedication, resilience and continued support, reiterating his administration’s commitment to initiatives that will enhance their welfare and promote the well-being of all Rivers people.

“We’ll continue to do those things that will uplift Rivers people and make them happy”, the Governor added.

Watch the video below: