The Police Command in Ebonyi has confirmed that the explosion that resulted in the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. George Onuabuchi in Abakaliki, Ebonyi’s capital, was caused by a gas cylinder and not an inverter battery.
DSP Joshua Ukandu, the Command’s spokesman, informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the incident occurred on August 25. Ukandu explained that a preliminary investigation revealed the couple’s deaths were due to a gas explosion.
“It happened on the waterworks axis in Abakaliki on August 25. Residents living around the scene alerted our personnel, but the couple had already been taken to the hospital,” Ukandu said. He added, “It’s very unfortunate that both finally died. The wife, Chioma, passed away sometime in August, and the husband died this month, September.”
Ukandu also mentioned that Chioma was the younger sister of the well-known Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Patoranking. The police spokesman emphasized that the explosion was due to a gas cylinder, not an inverter battery, as previously speculated.
A relative, who chose to remain anonymous, described the incident as tragic for the family. “They were a young couple with only a three-year-old son. Please, I have more to say. I cannot say more than this. They have gone,” the relative said.