A mother of two, Ujunwa Okechukwuma, was electrocuted on Wednesday evening while her two children, identified simply as Louis and Onyinyechi, are currently battling for their lives in the hospital following a spark at an electric transformer located inside a market in the Mowe area of Ogun State.
Though some members of the community asserted that three people died, including a pregnant woman, the state police command said only Okechukwuma was electrocuted and five others sustained injuries, including her two children.
“Apples Bite” reports that other victims of the electric incident include Shuaib Saheed, Zainab Babatunde, and Okiki Azeez, who sustained varying degrees of injury due to the spark at the transformer.
Our correspondent learnt from the locals that the officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company had warned shop owners of some electric cables that had fallen on the rooftops of some shops, not far from where an electric pole was mounted due to a recent rainstorm, to steer clear of the location.
One of the traders who resides in the area and witnessed the sad event, Mrs Aina Oloponda, told our correspondent, “They (IBEDC officials) said the rainstorm had cut down a high-tension cable, causing it to fall on the rooftop of some shops. They came to fix something on it about a few hours before the spark. About 30 minutes after they left the place, power was restored.
“We were surprised when they restored the power supply when some poles had fallen and all the cables were still wet. Not long after people raised this concern, the spark occurred, people started to scream. Three people died, and many others are in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, another eyewitness, Mrs Akinremi Bisi, said the IBEDC officials had advised the shop owners to desist from displaying their wares very close to the electric poles and advised them of the danger associated with placing an iron roof under the poles.
“They (IBEDC) officials came to our shops about three months ago to complain about the extension some shop owners were doing to the space allotted to them, which they said had extended to the body of the high-tension electric poles.
“They also warned about the possible dangers associated with the extension of traders’ shops to the high-tension electric pole. However, after Sunday’s rainstorm, some of the cables fell on the roof of a shop. They came to fix it before the incident.”
The state Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Thursday but stated that only one person was electrocuted while five others sustained injuries.
“A woman was electrocuted, and her two children are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. Three other people sustained various injuries. They have also been taken to the hospital for treatment. The stakeholders in the community have met to find a solution to all the illegal power connections in the market,” she said.
Sometime April 5, it was reported that a similar incident occurred in the Papalanto community in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State when an electric transformer exploded, killing nine-year-old Pipeloluwa Taiwo and injuring his sister, Jomiloju Taiwo.
Our correspondent reported that the IBEDC was said to have restored power supply to the community shortly after a power outage, leading to a spark and an explosion.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
