No fewer than two inmates awaiting trial for different offences have been confirmed dead and two Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) staff sustained varying degrees of burns after being shocked by electric inside the Uyo custodial centre, Akwa Ibom State.
The tragedy which was said to have occurred due to a faulty transformer supplying the facility also destroyed property worth millions of Naira.
NCoS controller in Akwa Ibom, Frank Okonkwo, told journalists in Uyo, the state capital yesterday that the incident was caused by a faulty electricity transformer which also damaged electrical appliances.
“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 NCoS official described the incident as unfortunate, saying, “The families of the deceased have been contacted.”
“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.
