The Police Command in Ebonyi has confirmed that the explosion that claimed the lives of Mr and Mrs George Onuabuchi in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, was caused by a gas cylinder and not an inverter battery.
Deputy Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for the Command, Joshua Ukandu, informed the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the incident occurred on 25 August.
Ukandu stated that a preliminary investigation revealed the couple died as a result of a gas explosion.
“It happened in the Waterworks area of Abakaliki on 25 August. Residents living nearby alerted our personnel, who visited the scene, but the couple had already been taken to the hospital.
“Unfortunately, both have now passed away. The wife, Chioma, died in August, while the husband passed away this month, in September.
“We gathered that the wife was the younger sister of popular Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Patoranking.
“There aren’t many details available, as the victims did not survive to share their account of the event. The cause of death was a gas explosion, not an inverter explosion,” Ukandu clarified.
A relative, who chose to remain anonymous, also spoke with NAN, describing the incident as a tragic loss for the family.
“They were a young couple. They had only one child, a three-year-old son.
“I can’t say more than this. They’re gone,” the relative said.
(NAN)
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