An unidentified man, who was trying to steal an armoured cable from a transformer in the Mgboaba/NTA axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State has been electrocuted.
The man was said to have gone for the operation at about 3 am on Thursday near a popular Pentecostal Church when there was a blackout but was trapped when the power supply was restored.
According to an eyewitness, the man was severely burnt with his body turning black, adding that they heard a loud sound at the transformer as soon as the power supply was restored.
One of the eyewitnesses said: “It was around 3 am when the transformer sparked with a loud sound. We thought it was the normal sound we hear sometimes.
“But in the morning when I was going to work, we heard that somebody that went to cut armoured cable died inside the transformer.
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“So personally I and some people went there and we saw the dead body. All his body was burnt like Charcoal. ”
Another eyewitness who gave his name as Chika, added that the man is known within the area, saying, “He used to sell water to people around this area.”
It was gathered that the man’s remains were removed by the police and officials of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distributor Company after residents of the area alerted them of the incident later that day.
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