A lawyer and prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Abdulsalami Ginsau, has reportedly died after becoming trapped inside an elevator at a hotel in Abuja under circumstances that remain unclear.

The incident, according to eyewitness accounts, occurred on Tuesday.

Sources said the lawyer was stuck inside the lift for an extended period, raising concerns that delayed rescue efforts may have contributed to the tragedy.

He is feared to have died from suffocation before help could reach him.

Although details surrounding the incident are still sketchy, uncertainty persists over the exact cause of the elevator malfunction.

While some sources suspect a power outage may have led to the lift becoming immobilised, others believe a possible mechanical fault could have been responsible.

As of the time of filing this report, no official explanation has been provided.

The identity of the hotel where the tragedy occurred has also not been made public, further deepening concerns about transparency and accountability.

The incident has triggered outrage and concern among Nigerians, particularly over safety standards in hotels and public buildings within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Questions are being raised about whether routine maintenance checks were carried out on the elevator and if emergency response protocols were in place to handle such situations.

Reacting to the development, former lawmaker Shehu Sani described the incident as both tragic and disturbing.

In a post shared on his verified Facebook account, Sani wrote, “The case of Barrister Abdulsalami Ginsau is pathetic. He was reportedly trapped in an Abuja hotel lift and he suffocated to death. Could it be that power supplying the lift ceased? Could it be that the lift has technical issues? Could it be that it’s just a tragedy of fate? May Allah grant him Aljanna Firdausi. Amin.”

His reaction echoes the concerns of many Nigerians who have taken to social media to demand stricter enforcement of safety regulations in public facilities, especially in high-traffic locations such as hotels, shopping complexes, and office buildings.

SaharaReporters’ open source findings also revealed Ginsau was not only a legal practitioner but also an active political figure within the APC in Kano State.

He was elected as the State Assistant Organising Secretary during the party’s state executive elections held on March 3, 2026, just 28 days before his death.

The tragic incident has once again brought to the fore the issue of infrastructure safety and regulatory oversight in Nigeria.