News
Generator Fumes Kill Seven Varsity Students In Bayelsa
No fewer than seven individuals, reportedly university undergraduates, have lost their lives after inhaling fumes from a generator inside a music studio on Transformer Road, Ebis, in the Amarata area of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa state.
The victims, whose identities are yet to be confirmed, were working in the recording studio, which is owned by one of them identified as Akpos Barakubo, when the incident occurred on Tuesday morning.
It is reported that most of the victims were youths, with some of them already married.
Residents of Ebis indicated that the studio crew worked late into the night using their generators due to inadequate power supply in the state.
It was gathered that the victims fell asleep with the generator running inside the studio and forgot to switch it off before dozing off.
The report stated that six bodies were discovered on Tuesday morning, while one individual, found unconscious and rushed to the hospital, later passed away.
It was also revealed that most of the deceased were undergraduates from the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) in Amassoma, who were involved in the recording business to support their education.
At the time of the report, security operatives had cordoned off the area.
The victims’ bodies were said to have been evacuated and taken to a morgue in Yenagoa by police officials.
A resident of the area, Damion Asamonye, blamed the state and federal governments as well as the Port Harcourt Distribution Company (PHED) for the deaths of the seven individuals.
He lamented that if there had been an adequate power supply, they would not have needed to use a generator throughout the night, which led to their fatal inhalation of carbon monoxide.
Asamonye criticized the unreliable power situation in the state, noting that the distribution company only provides electricity when it is time to collect bills and then disconnects the power shortly after customers have paid for the month.
Asamonye said: “Both the federal and state governments have failed us; if there was a public power supply, maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in this callous manner. It is sad and painful. Seven promising men just died like that because they were trying to eke out a living for themselves.
“Seven able-bodied young men just died in such a manner because of the failure of government. The most annoying thing is that tomorrow, the PHED personnel will come with their ladders to disconnect lights that they are not supplying. How can people be spending their humongous money on paying for darkness and fueling generators despite the current hardship in Nigeria, even after paying for light bills?
Another resident, Mrs Joy Reuben, whose neighbours woke up in the wee hours of Tuesday to witness the tragic incident, called on the government to ensure that there is the adequate power supply in the state so that citizens would not be allowed to die in such unthinkable circumstances again.
When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, ASP Musa Mohammed, said he heard about the incident but was yet to get briefs from the Divisional Police Officer (PRO) in charge of the area.
He, however, promised to keep the press updated as soon as he got the details of the incident.
The Edo Government has directed all public and private schools in the state to resume the 2024/25 academic session on September 30.
This directive comes after an earlier postponement of the resumption date, initially set for September 9, 2024.
In a statement on Sunday in Benin, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, warned that a fake notification had been circulating that schools would reopen on Monday.
He urged parents and guardians to disregard this false information.
The permanent secretary said, “We refer to the earlier announcement postponing the resumption of all public and private schools in Edo State, which was originally scheduled to reopen on Monday, 9th September 2024.
“We are aware of a subsequent false notification stating that schools should resume on Monday, 23rd September 2024.
“We wish to clarify that this announcement did not originate from the Edo State Government and is the work of mischief makers. The information is false and should be disregarded.
“The Edo State Government hereby directs that all public and private schools in the state will now resume for the 2024/25 academic session on Monday, 30th September 2024. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.”
At least 17 members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) drowned while attempting to cross a river along the Nigeria-Niger Republic border.
According to a counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, the incident occurred between the Kafetoa and Bulabulin Gaidam communities in Yobe State, Nigeria.
The insurgents were reportedly en route to Tam village in Niger Republic, near the Kannamma settlement in Yobe, when they were caught by strong water currents and swept away.
Boko Haram kills many, burn shops, houses in attack on Yobe village
Makama stated that the fighters had been displaced from key bases, including Bulabulin Geidam, Chettimari, and Diffan, all along the Nigeria-Niger border regions.
ISWAP has been involved in insurgency activities across Nigeria’s northeastern region and has come under increasing pressure from Nigerian military operations in recent months.
Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has reaffirmed the scheduled second phase of the nationwide protests against acute hunger, poverty and bad governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration tagged #FearlessInOctober.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) party, said the protests should not be regarded as only meant for Generation Z (Gen Z), but for all ages.
Generation Z refers to people born between 1996 and 2010. They are also known as Zoomers. They are the second-youngest generation, between millennials and Generation Alpha.
According to Sowore, the movement is championed by Nigerians of all ages who are fed up with bad governance in Nigeria, and in extension, Africa, noting that their flag will be “A New Pan-Africanism”.
He stressed that only if Africans unite will they be able to earn a place in global prosperity, hence, Nigerians need to rise against bad governance on October 1 when the country marks its Independence Day.
He said, “But don’t call it a Generation Z protest, rather from A to Z. The movement is animated by Nigerians of all ages, who are fed up with bad governance.
“Only if Africans unite will they be able to earn a place in global prosperity.”
He said the protests will be in October because “it’s a significant month for a number of reasons”.
He said, “There’s the anniversary of “their” independence, which Nigerians have not yet truly won, and also that of #EndSARS, the movement that denounces the abuses and blackmail against defenseless citizens committed by the police of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad at dawn on October 20, 2020.
“After days of marches, soldiers shot at participants in a sit-in in Lagos to enforce a curfew order. According to a local commission of inquiry, there were at least 48 victims: young people who denounced bad governance.”
The first phase of the protests took place nationwide from August 1-10, during and following which Nigerian authorities arrested several people for their alleged roles in the demonstrations.
The authorities have held several protesters in prison and charged them with treason.
However, Sowore has continued to encourage Nigerians, especially the youths not to surrender to the government’s brutality and hostility meant to silence and keep them in perpetual bondage.
Edo: APC’s victory is a vote of confidence on President Tinubu – Sen Barau
APC wins all chairmanship, councillorship positions in Imo LG elections
Meet Mamie Smith, the first African American singer who gained instant fame but died broke
Just in: Terrorists ambush military truck, kill all soldiers on board
Nigerian Dancer, Korra Obidi Attacked with acid, stabbed on stage In UK
Meet Rare Gem 16 Years Old Chiaza, CEO of ‘RUN MARKET PLACE’
-
News22 hours agoNDLEA intercepts N14.9bn opioids, arrests octogenarian, community leader’s wives, son +Photos
-
News9 hours agoJUST IN: PDP Govs Forum declare Asue Ighodalo winner of Edo guber poll
-
News23 hours agoEdo Guber: INEC set for collation, but disturbed by insecurity
-
News23 hours agoWasted bandit kingpin, Halilu Sububu reportedly died with Gov Lawal’s treasures
-
News13 hours agoJust in: Obaseki floored in his LGA
-
News12 hours agoJust in: INEC announces APC candidate, Monday Okpebholo winner Of Edo 2024 guber poll
-
News9 hours agoSAD!Hippopotamus kills Emir’s guard
-
Politics5 hours agoObaseki breaks silence as his candidate fails to win