In a tragic incident, seven individuals, reportedly university undergraduates, lost their lives after inhaling generator fumes inside a music studio on Transformer Road, Ebis, in the Amarata area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The victims, whose identities are yet to be confirmed, were working in the studio, owned by Akpos Barakubo, when the incident occurred on Tuesday morning. Most of the victims were youths, with some already married.
Residents of Ebis reported that the studio crew worked late into the night using generators due to inadequate power supply in the state. The victims fell asleep with the generator running inside the studio and forgot to switch it off before dozing off. Six bodies were discovered on Tuesday morning, while one individual, found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, later passed away. Most of the deceased were undergraduates from Niger Delta University (NDU) in Amassoma, using the recording business to support their education.
Security operatives have cordoned off the area, and the bodies have been evacuated to a morgue in Yenagoa by police officials. Resident Damion Asamonye blamed the state and federal governments, as well as the Port Harcourt Distribution Company (PHED), for the deaths, citing inadequate power supply as the cause of the tragedy. He lamented the unreliable power situation in the state, noting that the distribution company only provides electricity when it is time to collect bills.
Asamonye expressed his frustration, stating, “Both the federal and state governments have failed us; if there was a public power supply, maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this callous manner. It is sad and painful. Seven promising men just died like that because they were trying to eke out a living for themselves.” Another resident, Mrs. Joy Reuben, called on the government to ensure adequate power supply to prevent such tragedies in the future.
The state police command’s spokesman, ASP Musa Mohammed, confirmed hearing about the incident but was yet to receive briefs from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the area. He promised to keep the press updated as soon as he got the details of the incident.
