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The two victims |
Residents
of Kogberegbe Street, in the Isolo area of Lagos State say they have yet to
recover from the shock of watching two officials of the Ikeja Electric being
electrocuted by high-tension cables.
The
residents blamed the electricity distribution company, saying something was
fishy about the incident.
They
also called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of suspects, urging
that the victims’ families be adequately compensated.
It was gathered that the
two electricity workers had arrived at the area on Wednesday around 2pm to
install a transformer in the community.
The first worker, identified as Aloma, was said to have mounted the high
tension pole after a telephone call had been made to the office that power
should be switched off.
It
was gathered that as the victim worked, power was suddenly restored in the
area.
A
resident, Ololade Ultimate, said Aloma was electrocuted immediately, adding
that he spent about one hour on the pole.
He
said, “Aloma and his colleagues were not on an illegal duty. They came with the
transformer which they wanted to install in the area.
“Aloma
made a call to their office that they were about to start working and power was
switched off.
“Five
minutes after Aloma climbed the pole, power was restored and he was
electrocuted.”
The
victim’s hand, along with the safety gloves, was reportedly cut off by the
voltage.
Another
resident, Ibrahim Kazeem, said Aloma’s colleague, Bode, made a call to the
office to alert them to the incident.
After
waiting for about one hour without anyone showing up, Bode was reported to have
called the office again, informing them of his plan to remove the corpse of his
colleague.
“They
switched off the power again, and Bode climbed the pole. By this time, there
was a crowd on the street. Women were crying, some people were shouting; there
was confusion everywhere.
“Bode
climbed up the ladder and started loosening the strap around Aloma’s waist to
bring him down.
“He
was there for just a few minutes when power was restored again. He was
electrocuted as well,” Kazeem added.
It
was gathered that Bode fell off the pole onto the roof of a Christ Apostolic
Church after power went off yet again.
He
was said to have finally landed on the ground, breaking his neck.
“He
was soaked in blood,” a witness said.
Adewale
Solesi, another witness, said Bode was rushed to the Isolo General Hospital,
but was rejected. He was then transferred to the Gbagada General Hospital for
treatment.
A
third official was reportedly sent from the office, who then safely removed
Aloma’s corpse.
A
tailor, Mrs. Amzat Olabisi, said residents were thrown into mourning over the
incident.
“Everybody
was in tears. It is obvious that somebody was behind what happened to those
men. We learnt that they were not the ones that were supposed to do the job,
but somebody asked them to go there. The power was just coming on and off, as
if it was somebody’s toy. This was not ordinary,” she added.
Dimeji
Ogunlade called for a thorough investigation into the case and punishment of
those found wanting in the discharge of their duties.
The
Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ikeja Electric, Olusola Ayeni, when
contacted by our correspondent, said every official of the company knew the
company’s protocol when going for an assignment.
He
also said it was not possible for the company to get to the scene of the
incident immediately it got an alert that the officials were electrocuted.
However,
when our correspondent asked why the victims were electrocuted despite telling
the office about their plan to start working on the high-tension cables, the
line went dead.
Ayeni
had since not picked his calls, despite repeated attempts .
The
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said investigation was
ongoing into the incident, adding that the police did not suspect any foul
play.
She
said, “The police were involved in the rescue of the workers. While one died
immediately, the second man is recuperating in a hospital. We are not looking
at if anybody did it deliberately, but investigation is ongoing. If we find any
foul play, we will make it public.”
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Hm,When did such things happened?
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