CARELESSNESS! 15-year-old Pupil Electrocuted By Wire Abandoned by Electricity Workers In Lagos

Date: 09-10-2015 6:01 am (8 years ago) | Author: Mister Jay Wonder
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- at 9-10-2015 06:01 AM (8 years ago)
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A 15-year-old resident of Ishaga Road in the Idi-Araba area of Lagos State, Afusat Musa, has been electrocuted by a live wire that was partially disconnected by officials of Eko Electricity Distribution Company.

About four officials were said to have stormed the neighbourhood penultimate Tuesday, around 2pm, and disconnected wires from houses, whose residents had yet to pay their bills.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the wire cut from a storey building was, however, abandoned on the roof of a mosque near the building, while the other end was still attached to an electric pole. Moments after power was restored on the fateful day, Afusat, a Junior Secondary School three pupil, who lived in a house next to the mosque, was electrocuted.

She was said to be returning from an errand at about 7pm and touched the metal pole of an aerial
mounted beside her house. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was confirmed dead on arrival.

A brother of the deceased, Aminu Musa, told PUNCH Metro that the manager of the Idi-Araba office of the EKEDC visited the community after the incident was reported at the Itire Police Station and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.

Aminu added that the manager denied knowledge of the workers’ operation in the area on the fateful day. He said:

 “Immediately Afusat died, we went to the Itire Police Station. LASEPA was also informed about the incident. The following day, LASEPA officials, the electricity workers and their manager visited us. The manager denied sending his men to disconnect wires.”

Afusat’s mother, Zainab, a trader, said the workers eventually admitted complicity in the occurrence when people confronted them, adding that the case was not properly handled because the family was not influential. She said:

“We initially thought it was our wire that caused the electrocution, but it persisted after my daughter died. It was somebody who rushed in to tell us that a live wire was abandoned on the roof of the mosque, which touched our house’s roof. The workers initially denied that they did come to our area for the operation. But when people insisted they were the ones, they apologised, saying the wire was mistakenly abandoned. If Afusat was from a rich family would the case die like that? They did not even come in to sympathise with us; they stayed outside.”
The deceased’s father, Alhaji Muhammed Musa, who described her as obedient, said her death was caused by the nonchallant attitude of the electricity officials. He said:
 “Many wires were disconnected that day and we had to settle them to fix them back. I paid them N1,500. A wire was not re-fixed because the residents of the house did not settle them. It was carelessness on their part to have abandoned the wire that was not disconnected from the pole. When there was electricity later that day, people started complaining of shocks but we did not know where it came from until Afusat died.”

The Chairman of the community development association, Mr. Rasheed Bakare, said prior to the incident, several invitations had been sent to the electricity company for a discussion on the poor state of electric poles in the area, but were ignored. He said:

“Before this incident, we have written letters to EKEDC, inviting them for deliberation on lingering issues relating to electricity in this community, but they did not honour our invitations. There are cases of falling wires and illegal pole climbing, among others, which we wanted to discuss with them.”

The Lagos State police spokesperson, DSP Joe Offor, said efforts were on to get the statements of the workers complicit in the pupil’s death. He said:

“The DPO informed Lagos State of the incident and invited the concerned workers to the station, but they have yet to honour the invitation. Whenever our men go to their office, they are always told that the workers have gone out. We are still making efforts to ensure that they come to the station.”
Calls made to the line of the spokesperson for EKEDC, Mr, Godwin Idemudia, rang out. He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to his number as of press time, PUNCH reports. -


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Posted: at 9-10-2015 06:01 AM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
- allenspike at 9-10-2015 06:21 AM (8 years ago)
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it is very dangerous to install electric pole close to buildings, this is so sad. RIP

Posted: at 9-10-2015 06:21 AM (8 years ago) | Gistmaniac
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- winace at 9-10-2015 06:49 AM (8 years ago)
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Na only GOD from PHCN in lagos o. So many pple are dying cus of their carelessness and incompetence.
Posted: at 9-10-2015 06:49 AM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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- proly at 9-10-2015 06:52 AM (8 years ago)
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Nepa they very careless...this change chnage that people shoutn here and there me didn't see any change!am just tinking wen nija will be like other develop coutries where all the electric ire supose go underrgoud bc this electricution stuff is becoming very comon this days
Posted: at 9-10-2015 06:52 AM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- stella1981 at 9-10-2015 07:46 AM (8 years ago)
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RIP
Posted: at 9-10-2015 07:46 AM (8 years ago) | Upcoming
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- emma4love3 at 9-10-2015 08:04 AM (8 years ago)
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aaaaaah na wao oooh
another sad story oooh again
naija...which way every day is one
sad story or the other....
Posted: at 9-10-2015 08:04 AM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- morgrawl231 at 9-10-2015 08:17 AM (8 years ago)
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RIP...
Posted: at 9-10-2015 08:17 AM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- greatestdon at 9-10-2015 09:13 AM (8 years ago)
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WTF. Dis is unacceptable. It can only happen in Nigeria where anything goes & no one is held liable. Hmmm... Sorry child,u lost ur life due 2 some ppl's incompetence & carelessness!!!
Posted: at 9-10-2015 09:13 AM (8 years ago) | Upcoming
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- okatee at 9-10-2015 09:31 AM (8 years ago)
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dis electrocute is bcumin sometyn else in lagos oo, early dis week, 2 pple died cus of it, nw a 15 yrs old gal
Posted: at 9-10-2015 09:31 AM (8 years ago) | Gistmaniac
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- okatee at 9-10-2015 09:35 AM (8 years ago)
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Lagos state govt, abeg u pple shud do sumtyn abt dis, i no wan hear any electrocute case again.RIP afusat
Posted: at 9-10-2015 09:35 AM (8 years ago) | Gistmaniac
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- emma4love3 at 9-10-2015 09:50 AM (8 years ago)
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well PHCN shuld intesify more effort
in fixing all their installion and distribution
properly...to avert sudden accident....of
human life...
Posted: at 9-10-2015 09:50 AM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- Trueyarn at 9-10-2015 09:52 AM (8 years ago)
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R.I.P girl..
Posted: at 9-10-2015 09:52 AM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- emma4love3 at 9-10-2015 02:45 PM (8 years ago)
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Quote from: okata matthew on  9-10-2015 09:35 AM
Lagos state govt, abeg u pple shud do sumtyn abt dis, i no wan hear any electrocute case again.RIP afusat
yes ooh...
Posted: at 9-10-2015 02:45 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- bohlah at 10-10-2015 06:54 AM (8 years ago)
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Nigeria, which way are we going? Carelessness killing citizens

Posted: at 10-10-2015 06:54 AM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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- temi_1 at 10-10-2015 08:50 AM (8 years ago)
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Omg rip.bad news everyday na wa o
Posted: at 10-10-2015 08:50 AM (8 years ago) | Gistmaniac
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- elchymo at 10-10-2015 12:24 PM (8 years ago)
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PHCN, for causing the the death of that little girl cos of ur carelessness MA God punish all of una one by one
Posted: at 10-10-2015 12:24 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- mary11 at 10-10-2015 08:48 PM (8 years ago)
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So sad
Rest in peace little girl

Posted: at 10-10-2015 08:48 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- mary11 at 10-10-2015 08:51 PM (8 years ago)
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This phcn just be like cause to dis country cos they don't even serve the purpose why dey are there

Posted: at 10-10-2015 08:51 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
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- bohlah at 14-10-2015 06:27 AM (8 years ago)
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This is really so disheartening, PHCN in dat area should be held responsible

Posted: at 14-10-2015 06:27 AM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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- bohlah at 14-10-2015 06:28 AM (8 years ago)
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Nigeria should have grown beyond all these kind of careless act

Posted: at 14-10-2015 06:28 AM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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