Afriland Towers Fire : “I Am Shattered” – Elumelu Cuts Short UNGA Trip, Addresses Tragic Incident

Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, has described himself as “shattered” by Tuesday’s fire at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, which claimed the lives of staff of Afriland Properties, a subsidiary of the Group.

In an internal memo issued Wednesday, 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, those who walk through our doors each day and share our mission.”

He disclosed that he learnt of the incident enroute to New York for the United Nations General Assembly and immediately cut short his trip to return to Lagos.

“I have cut short my trip to return to Lagos as a mark of respect to our lost colleagues,” he wrote.

Elumelu added that the Group would convene a memorial in the coming days to honour the departed and support their families, urging colleagues to reach out to those receiving care.

He also expressed gratitude to emergency responders, first aid workers, and members of the public who showed what he called “courage and compassion.”

The Chairman directed that a minute’s silence be observed today at 12:00 noon WAT across all companies in the Group, closing his message with a prayer: “May this never happen again in our Group. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”