The explosion claimed the life of a couple, George and Chioma Buchi just days after a house warming party of their newly built home.
The incident is said to have occurred last Sunday, around the residential areas of Water Works road, in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
The police has opened investigations to unravel the mystery.
According to sources, the late Chioma is said to be a younger sister to a popular Nigerian Afrobeat Singer, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, popularly known with his stage name, Patoranking.
There are conflicting accounts to the incident, while some eyewitnesses say the explosion was caused by a solar light battery inverter, yet another account put told AIT that it was caused by a gas cylinder, while yet others alleged that an object was planted at the new home of the couple.
One of the eyewitnesses is quoted as saying, “it happened in my street. We only heard sound of explosion, Sunday afternoon. When we rushed to the compound, smoke was coming out of the new building with all the electronics spoilt, including the ceiling, doors and windows damaged with glasses. At first we thought it was Gas cylinder explosion. No be any inverter, Na only God knows what was implanted in that house. It sounded like bomb”
However, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu confirmed the incident, noting that there was an explosion in the house of the couple which caused them serious injuries and they were taken to the hospital for treatment.
“They have been in the hospital, the wife died first. She is the sister of Partoranking. Her husband now died days after. We have not confirmed what led to the incident, whether it was battery inverter or a gas cylinder in the house. We don’t have any confirmed fact to it. Investigation is ongoing now for it and I will have to call our people investigating it to find out what they have on the preliminary finding in it”, Ukandu Stated.
The couple is said to have left their 3-year-old son orphaned. The kid who was said to be with his grandmother when the incident happened, was not affected by the explosion.
