The electrocution of a father of four, Simon Nwafor, by a high tension wire of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Aguda, Surulere area of Lagos is stirring controversy.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Simon, a driver, was electrocuted on July 3 at about 6:20am while he was on his way to his boss’ residence on Somosu Street.
It was learnt that Simon, 47, who had taken cover from the rain in front of some shops close to the power line was electrocuted few minutes after he helped some schoolchildren to cross the road and board their school bus.
A resident of the area, Theophilus Eze, said his corpse was found inside the gutter around 6:30 am.
He said, “I just came down in the morning and saw a dead body in the gutter while the PHCN high tension wire was also dangling.”
A trader in the area, Joseph Okeke, said there had been several reports to PHCN on the precarious state of the wire.
He said, “This is the third time the wire will suddenly cut. It happened towards the end of 2011, in February, and this third one which unfortunately took Simon’s life.
“The sad part of it is that we have been lodging complaints with the PHCN authorities on the precarious state of the wires for long.
“To be candid, the death of Simon is entirely their fault because we informed them about it. When I expressed concern about the state of the wire with the technician in February, he simply accused me of embarrassing him.”
Another trader in the area, Gloria Agwuncha, while corroborating Okeke’s claims said the poor maintenance culture of the PHCN was responsible for the sad event.
She said, “The high tension wire snaps whenever rain falls. I’m surprised that they are not taking responsibility for Simon’s death.
“Whenever the wire snaps, all they do is to manage it by joining both parts together until it becomes very fragile and weak. This last one snapped at the point where it was previously joined.”
Simon’s wife, Esther, said she was surprised that the PHCN authorities did not accept that their negligence caused her husband’s death.
She said, “The negligence of PHCN authorities has made me a widow overnight. I am a housewife and Simon was the breadwinner of the family. I and the four children he left behind are now living from hand to mouth.
“Up till this time that I speak to you, none of the PHCN officials had visited me on the death of my husband. It saddens me whenever they say that they are not to blame for cause of his death.
“All they keep saying is that the fault was not theirs. If the power line had been properly fixed, would it have fallen on my husband?
“Apart from finding it difficult to feed the children it has also been difficult to keep them in school. Our rent would soon lapse and we might likely be sent packing as there is no means of getting money.”
Simon’s daughter, Ugochi, a Junior Secondary School three pupil, who spoke to our correspondent in a pensive mood, said she had yet to recover from the shock of her father’s death.
She said, “I mourn the death of my dad everyday and the thought that the carelessness of the PHCN caused his death adds to my sorrow. He was a loving and caring dad and he shouldn’t have died like that.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.
She said, “The case of electrocution of Simon who was said to be passing by before a wire fell on him was reported at the Aguda Police Station.
“Policemen from the division went to the scene to recover his corpse. The corpse had since been handed over to the family of the deceased.
“No foul play was suspected. In fact, an autopsy was carried out on him, which confirmed that he died of electrocution.”
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