Seven university students in Bayelsa state have tragically lost their lives, due to inhaling fumes from a generator in a music studio.
They worked late into Monday night and fell asleep in the locked studio while the generator was running.
On Tuesday morning, six bodies and one unconscious individual who later died were discovered through the studio’s window by local residents, who alerted the police authorities.
Police cordoned off the area and moved the bodies. They suspect carbon monoxide emissions as the cause, but investigations are ongoing.
Musa Mohammed, a police spokesperson said, “Investigations are being carried out but based on what we have seen, carbon monoxide poisoning due to generator fumes is a possible cause.”
The victims were undergraduates from Niger Delta University (NDU) in Amassoma, supporting their education through the music recording business.
Sadly, due to inadequate power supply, generator fume-related deaths are not uncommon in Nigeria. In 2009, a similar incident claimed the lives of 13 family members in Imo state.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Nigerians rely on backup generators for approximately 40% of their electricity needs, despite being a major oil and gas producer.
President Bola Tinubu recently mandated government agencies to purchase vehicles and generators powered by natural gas, aiming to transition to cleaner energy and reduce fuel costs.
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