Two awaiting-trial inmates have died whilst two prison officials sustained critical injuries following a transformer explosion at the Uyo Medium Custodial Centre along Wellington Bassey Way in Akwa Ibom State.
The overloaded transformer, located along Metro Road and serving parts of the Deputy Governor’s Lodge and the correctional facility, exploded with devastating force, causing damage estimated at billions of naira. A second nearby transformer along Effiong Udo Akpan Street was also affected by the incident.
The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) Akwa Ibom State Command confirmed the deaths of the two suspects who were awaiting arraignment on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery.
The explosion occurred a fortnight after another transformer in the vicinity had blown up, causing a high voltage wire to snap and fall onto a section of the correctional facility, plunging the area into total darkness.
Speaking during an interview with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, who visited the Atan Offot facility on a fact-finding mission, State Controller of Corrections, Frank Okonkwo revealed that the Centre bore the brunt of the explosion with numerous facilities severely damaged.
Okonkwo recounted how the force of the blast threw the two victims from where they were seated. They were rushed to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) but sadly succumbed to their injuries.
“They died after administration of first aid by the doctor who later pronounced them dead,” Okonkwo explained.
The Controller noted that despite facing charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and armed robbery, the victims remained innocent until proven guilty by the courts, describing the tragedy as deeply unfortunate.
“It was very unfortunate because the thing caused a lot of damage, both to our facility and the families of the deceased,” he said.
“When that explosion occurred at the transformer, officials of PHEDC came and said the explosion was as a result of too much voltage. The thing affected us in that it actually destroyed or damaged all electrical appliances, computers etc in our facility.”
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“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 that finally 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,” he stressed.
Okonkwo disclosed that families of the deceased have been notified, with one family having completed procedures to retrieve the corpse for burial. However, the Command will only release the bodies upon completion of investigations.
Recalling that the same transformer had malfunctioned years earlier without casualties, the Controller called on relevant authorities to take action to prevent future occurrences.
In a separate development, Okonkwo announced plans to organise empowerment programme “for inmates that have gone through our rehabilitation process,” revealing that beneficiaries would receive start-up packs “to enable them to be fully integrated when they are eventually discharged into the larger society.”
He explained that “the programme will enable them to be useful to themselves as well as the community so that they don’t have any cause to commit crimes and return to the custodial centre again.”
“We are looking at 30 for now because the financing is going to be huge, we are relying mainly on the goodwill of our donors and organisations. We have those who have acquired various skills while in our custody, different 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, they are convicts that 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,” he explained.
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