An attempt by an unidentified man to steal an armoured cable from a transformer in the Mgboaba/NTA axis of Ohio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State ended in tragedy as he was 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.
An eyewitness said the man was severely burnt with his body turning black, saying 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.
“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 said 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.
The spokesperson of the state Police Command, Superintendent Grace Iringe-Koko said she would find out from the Divisional Police Officer and get back to our correspondent.
She is yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Thursday afternoon.
