The Nigeria Correctional Service in Akwa Ibom State has confirmed the death of two inmates following an electricity transformer explosion that occurred near the Uyo Custodial Centre.
State Controller of Corrections, Frank Okonkwo, who disclosed the incident on Thursday, said the explosion, which happened about two weeks ago, also claimed the lives of two NCoS officials and destroyed several electrical installations within the facility.
According to Okonkwo, the deceased inmates were awaiting trial for offences including conspiracy, kidnapping, and armed robbery. He described the incident as deeply regrettable.
He explained that the blast from the nearby transformer caused a high-voltage wire to snap, leading to severe damage within the centre and a total blackout in the area.
“When that explosion occurred at the transformer, officials of PHEDC came and said it was a result of too much voltage. The incident affected us in that it actually destroyed or damaged all electrical appliances, computers, and other equipment in our facility,” Okonkwo narrated.
“It affected our barracks as well, and even the official residence of the officer in charge. But the most painful aspect of it was that it affected two of our inmates who lost their lives as they were rushed to the hospital.
“They were thrown off from where they were staying, and immediately our medical personnel administered first aid, and rushed them to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, where they were later confirmed dead.
“It was a big loss, both to themselves and to the inmates, especially when they were just awaiting trial, one of them was standing trial for conspiracy and kidnapping, the other one for armed robbery.”
Okonkwo noted that the victims’ families had been informed, with one already completing the necessary steps to retrieve the remains.
He added that the corpses would only be released after the conclusion of investigations.
He recalled that the same transformer had developed faults in the past, though no casualties were recorded at the time, and urged the relevant authorities to urgently fix the problem to prevent a recurrence.
The Controller also revealed that the Command’s Legal Department had commenced an investigation into the incident and would submit a detailed report soon.
In a separate development, Okonkwo announced that the Command was planning an empowerment initiative for rehabilitated inmates who had acquired vocational skills while in custody.
“We are looking at 30 for now because the financing is going to be huge as we are relying mainly on the goodwill of donors and organisations,” he said.
“Those who have acquired various skills while in our custody, skills like tailoring, carpentry, barbing and welding, and we intend to draw the beneficiaries from various custodial centres, Uyo, Ikot Abasi, Ikot Ekpene and Eket.
“Those who are serving terms but are on the verge of being discharged between now and December, convicts who have successfully accepted our treatment regime by getting themselves usefully engaged when they were in our custody. Those are the ones we want to show appreciation to by organising this programme.”
