According to a report by Punch Metro, the bodies of two middle-aged women have been recovered in a lock-up shop in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, who confirmed the incident to Punch Metro on the telephone, said that the women died of suspected generator fumes.
"It is true; the story is correct. They died of generator fumes," Kokumo said.
It was gathered that one of the deceased, said to be a fashion designer and the owner of the shop, Uju Muobuikwu, had invited her, the other victim, to assist her at the shop located on Second East Circular road.
It was also gathered that Muobuikwu had turned on a generator to enable her carry out the task throughout the night and deliver the clothes to her customer in time.
Her brother, Chukwudi, said that he had earlier received a call from his sister on Monday but could not reach her subsequently.
He said, "I got a call from my sister at about 2pm when she complained that her friend was getting weak. I told her to give her anointing oil.
"Minutes later, I put a call to her mobile phone to know the situation of things but she did not pick my call. So, I came here this morning and we invited the police to force the door open and that was it."
The police commissioner explained that preliminary investigations revealed that the victims inhaled the toxic fumes from the generator.
He, however, said that the command would carry out an enlightenment campaign on the health hazards inherent in the indoor use of generator.
Kokumo explained, "I think they were fashion designers who must have been working all night to, probably, meet up with the demands of their customers this Yuletide.
"Maybe they (deceased) had a lot of things to get done for their customers and slept where the generator was on. So, they eventually died of the fumes of the generator. I think they did not know."
"We will embark on public enlightenment to enlighten members of the public that it is dangerous to the health."
Comments