Wadata Electricity Disaster: 5 Killed, 6 Injured
... JED accused of negligence resulting to incident ... family of victims narrates experience, demand for justice
Rescued victims with serious injuries, following the electricity disaster which occured on Thursday, last week
By Prosper Okoye –
Residence of Wadata, a community in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, has been thrown into mourning, as five persons were found dead in their homes, while 6 other victims were rescued, but sustained serious injuries, following the electricity disaster which occured on Thursday, last week.
Investigations revealed that the tragic event happened, because of the faults on the transformer that supplied electricity to the Rice mill area of Wadata, which was affected.
“The transformer Disk Shelter got broken, which made the high tension wire to fall on the earthen, and it conducted high electricity currents to the affected houses,” Wadata TV Makurdi, quotes transformer expert, Mr. John Olaye as saying.
Burnt electrical installations after the disaster
According to the transformer caretaker, Mr. Rabiu Adamu, Jos Electricity Distribution Company’s negligence resulted to the fatal incident, as similar electrical mishap had occured on 14th of February, killing only a male resident, identified as Mr. Kelechi.
“He was washing in the house, when he saw Sparks in his meter. He rushed to the meter to disconnect the light, that was were he got electrocuted.
“We called the JED branch office at Atiku Abubakar road, and told them what happened to their customer; to our greatest surprise they didn’t come to the house of the victim to condole with them. They didn’t resolve the issue on the transformer. We only noticed that they shifted the date they were suppose to come for disconnection.” He said.
Mr. Adamu also called on JED to compensate the family of those who lost their lives, and those injured as a result of the incident.
A resident, Abubakar Mallam Bello, disclosed that the transformer had exploded recently, but was later fixed.
Vivian Ikemba, who lost her two siblings, and had her mum injured, as a result of the electricity disaster, narrates how the incidence occured:
“It was about 7am, and I was preparing to go to work. My mother was standing next to our fridge, because she wanted to bring out food from it.
“Suddenly we started to see light from under the fridge. Before we know it, our mother was on the ground.
“My younger brother rushed to the fridge socket to put off the switch, that was how he got glued to the wall.
“I began to shout and I ran outside to call for help. By the time I got back with some people the door was shut.
” When we had forced the door open, my senior sister who was lying on a coach close to fridge was dead, my younger brother was also dead, and my mother was lying unconscious on the ground.” Vivian stated.
Vivian further said that she was finding things difficult to take care of her widowed mother; who was badly injured, and is receiving treatment at the Federal medical center Apir.
She called on the government and non-governmental organizations to help bring relief to her condition.
