- Residents blame IKEDC technical staff for man having been electrocuted
Henry Okonkwo
Residents of Humani Street, Bajulaiye in Shomolu area of Lagos State were thrown into mourning when news spread that one of their neighbours, 72-year-old AbdulRasheed AbdulQuadri had been electrocuted.
The sad incident occurred at about 3:00p.m the septuagenarian was going back home from the jumat service at the Central Mosque few blocks away from his house.
Sunday Sun learnt from the residents that Pa Abdul-Quadri known in his neighbourhood as Baba White was killed when he tried to step over the open gutter in front of his house. He was said to have touched the iron bar of a mini-goal post (popularly known as monkey post) that was close to an electric pole. No one noticed that an electric cable previously disconnect by technicians of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) was lying on the monkey post. As the septuagenarian touched the monkey post, he was electrocuted.
One of the neighbours, who witnessed what happened but does not want to be mentioned, told Sunday Sun: “When he fell we rushed to see what was wrong with him. That was when we noticed the electric cable coiled around the monkeypost. At that point we realized that Baba had been electrocuted. And it was dangerous for anyone to go and touch him.”
Residents disclosed to Sunday Sun that the power distribution authorities from the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company Plc (IKEDC) had, on Monday, July 2, conducted mass disconnection exercise in the neighborhood. Many of them alleged that the technical staff of IKEDC, who carried out the exercise did not properly secure the wires after the disconnections.
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Grandson of AbdulQuadri, Hafeez Quadri, who was at home when the tragedy happened recalled: “When I heard people shouting that my granddad had been electrocuted, I rushed and saw him on the ground. I was held back to prevent me from going to touch him. One of the neighbours struck the electric wire with a praying mat, to push it away from the monkey post. It was then we rushed him to the hospital but it was already too late.”
Also another family member, Alhaji M. B AbdulQuadri, who is the victim’s elder brother, said he was shocked when he got wind of the incident. “I was at Ejigbo when I got a call that my younger brother was electrocuted. I hurried down to Bajulaiye and saw his corpse. We reported the incident to the Alade Police Station, and then got his death certificate. After which we proceeded to bury him according to Islamic rites.”
For over one week after the incident, residents are still in shock and distruaght. “We feel so sad that such a terrible thing happened. Baba was a jolly good old man. He was like a father to me. No one can say anything bad about him in this street. He was a straight-forward person that loved to treat people equal. It is really tragic the way he died, but only God knows best,” said a male neighbour, who pleaded anonymity.
Another community leader, and Secretary of the Bajulaiye Community Development Association (CDA), Comrade Toyin Okanlawon, said he was appalled by the incident. He contended that the tragedy could have been prevented if the staff of IKEDC had taken adequate precaution. “I have always forewarned IKEDC workers about the nonchalant way they leave electric wires dangling indiscriminately after their disconnection exercise.”
Reacting to the incident and allegations of nonchalance, the Public Relations Officer of the Ikeja Electric Plc, Felix Ofulue, told Sunday Sun that the head office of the organization was yet to be informed about the incident as at the time of filing this report. His words: “We are not aware of such an occurrence. Nobody has raised any issue like that to us. We take issues of safety very seriously. Our team is very proactive and reactive when they need to be. They have their ears to the ground. So, it is not possible that something like that would happen and we would not know about it.”