By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was a moment of sorrow and regrets at Nibo in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State over the weekend as a young man horribly died of electrocution after a high-tension wire reportedly cut and fell on him.
The incident reportedly happened when the victim, who is said to be a POS operator, was standing in front of his shop located under the high-tension wire.
This was corroborated by a video from the scene of the incident, currently trending on social media, showing the victim lying lifeless on the ground, with the high-tension wire still lying on his body, still oozing out smokes and sparks.
Although, the full identity of the victim is yet to be revealed, sources from the area said he recently got married. The eyewitnesses also condemned and attributed the unfortunate loss of life to the error and deliberate acts of building or trading under the high-tension wire, which the government and its relevant agencies have always cautioned against as a result of many dangers associated with it.
When contacted by this reporter, the MD/CEO of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Hon. Ossy Onuko, described the incident as unfortunate, noting that such misfortunes are parts of the reasons the agency usually carries out sensitization and enforcement against building or trading under the high-tension wire.
“This is something we’ve been campaigning against from time to time, that it is very dangerous to build or trade under the high-tension wire,” he stated, noting that many people even vilify them for their enforcement against such suicide mission.
“In fact, it’s part of the reasons why most times, on social media, we are vilified as being inhumane for trying to let people know that they cannot either build or trade under the high-tension. It’s something very pathetic. It’s a suicide mission to have your shop or your kiosk or your roadside activities under the high-tension, he added.
Regretting the avoidable loss of life, Hon. Onuko stated that the unfortunate incident is sadly one example of many negative outcomes and resultant effects of such act of negligence to safety, further noting that it should serve deterrent to others who still indulge in such prohibited act.
This, he said, should also make the public to understand that the sensitization and enforcement being carried out by ACTDA against such things are not to witch-hunt then, but for their own safety.
“Unfortunately, we’ve lost a soul. I pray for the peaceful repose of this soul. But also, it should serve as deterrent to others, that they shouldn’t just fold their arms and wait for us, when we come, they run away and return when we leave.
“People should see it as a personal responsibility to be safety conscious, and also enlighten others, not just themselves. No precious life is worth being lost to such a careless and avoidable death. A stich in time save nine,” he concluded.
Watch the video below:
