From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Tragedy struck in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Tuesday morning when the bodies of seven young men were discovered in a music studio, suspected to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The incident occurred at Music House Studio, located on Ebis Mechanic Road in the Amarata area of Yenagoa. Police officers from the A Division cordoned off the area while the bodies were evacuated from the building.
Initial investigations revealed that the deceased were working on a musical recording at the studio, believed to be owned by Precious Okorotimi. Due to the unreliable power supply in the state, the group, who were undergraduates of Niger Delta University (NDU), continued working late into the night with the generator running. They reportedly fell asleep in the studio.
Residents reported that a neighbour who noticed the locked door and saw the young men lying on the floor through a window raised the alarm.
Mr Damion Asamonye, a resident, lamented the deaths, blaming the tragedy on the poor power supply in the state. He argued that if there was reliable electricity, the young men would not have been forced to stay in a confined space with a running generator.
“Both federal and state governments have failed us,” Asamonye said. “If there was public power supply, maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this circumstance.”
He criticized the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for disconnecting power despite the lack of supply, forcing people to rely on expensive generators during a time of economic hardship.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Musa Mohammed, confirmed the incident. He stated that the police received a distress call on Tuesday morning and dispatched a team to the scene.
“One Rueben and six others were confirmed dead and their bodies have been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa for autopsy,” Mohammed said. “Also, the coroner law has been activated.”