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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Tragedy struck, yesterday morning, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, over the discovery of the bodies of seven young men suspected to have suffocated from generator emissions (carbon monoxide).
The incident, which occurred at Music House Studio, Ebis Mechanic road, Amarata, Yenagoa, has thrown the area into mourning.
Police operatives from A Division deployed to the area cordoned off the access road, while the bodies of the deceased were evacuated from the building. Investigations revealed that the deceased were said to be working on a musical recording at the studio believed to be owned by one Precious Okorotimi.
Checks indicated that due to the epileptic power supply in the state, the musical crew, who are undergraduates of Niger Delta University (NDU) worked late into the night with the generator on and they fell asleep.
Residents confirmed that it was a neighbour who tried to open the door of the studio, which was locked and peeped through the window, where he saw the young men sprawled on the floor that raised the alarm.
A resident of the area, Mr. Damion Asamonye, lamented the death of the young men, blaming the poor supply of power in the state as the cause. He said if there was steady power supply in the state, young people seeking to make ends meet through music won’t be forced to stay in the same room where there is a generator.
“Both Federal and State governments have failed us; if there was public power supply, maybe, these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this circumstance.
“Seven able bodied young men just died like that because of the failure of the government, most annoying thing is that, tomorrow, the PHED personnel will come with a ladder to disconnect light that they are not supplying.
“How can people be spending their money in fueling generators, despite the current hardship in Nigeria, even after paying for light bills?’’
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Musa Mohammed, who confirmed the incident, said the police control room received a distress call Tuesday morning, over the death of seven young men at Amarata and dispatched a police team to the area.
“One Rueben and six others were confirmed dead and their bodies have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, for autopsy. Also, the coroner law has been activated,’’ he said.
