The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has been thrown into mourning following the death of four of its staff members in the fire incident that engulfed Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos, on Tuesday.
According to a statement by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, the deceased staff members were Mrs. Ekelikhostse George, an Assistant Director; Mr. David Sunday-Jatto, an Assistant Director; Mrs. Nkem Onyemelukwe, a Senior Manager; and Mr. Peter Ifaranmaye, a 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,” Adekanmbi stated.
He explained that the late officials were working at one of the two FIRS offices located on the sixth and seventh floors of the Towers when the tragedy struck. “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,” he added.
Adekanmbi further disclosed that the Service’s security and safety officers acted promptly. “Our Security and Safety officials quickly mobilized 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,” he said.
The statement added that the management and entire staff of FIRS are devastated by the incident and are standing firmly with the affected families.
“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,” Adekanmbi assured.
On the next steps, he said FIRS would collaborate with relevant authorities to uncover the cause of the tragedy. “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 concluded.
