Explosion Kills Two Inmates In Nigerian Prison
Two inmates in a prison facility in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria’s South-south, were killed by an explosion caused by a faulty electricity transformer.
Frank Okonkwo, the controller of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) in Akwa Ibom, disclosed this to reporters in Uyo on Thursday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Okonkwo said the deceased victims were awaiting trial. He, however, did not disclose their identity.
Okonkwo also said the explosion injured two prison officials.
“There was an explosion at a nearby transformer a fortnight ago, which led to a high voltage wire snapping and dropping at a portion of the NCoS facility, causing a total blackout.
“During that explosion, the two deceased victims were thrown up where they were seated, and were later confirmed dead by doctors at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” he said.
The official described the incident as unfortunate. He said the families of the deceased have been notified of the incident.
“We are mostly pained that the explosion led to the death of two of our inmates. It is quite painful.
“We urge the relevant authorities to address the issue around the faulty transformer to forestall any tragic incident in the future,” he said.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
