Pregnant woman, nursing mother, five others electrocuted in Ibadan

IT was weeping and wailing yesterday morning in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, when a distribution wire of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) fell and electrocuted seven traders.
The tragic incident, which took place at Apata-Ganga area of Apata at 5.50 a.m, affected the popular Agbekoya Market, Apata, where the market women laid their  wares, mainly vegetables, for sale.
Among the seven victims were a pregnant woman, identified as Tawa, and a nursing mother.
While the nursing mother died on the spot, the baby she had on her back was rescued by sympathisers. However, the mother of the pregnant victim was reported to have collapsed and died upon hearing the shocking news, because the deceased was said to be her only child.
Though the state police command only confirmed five, residents and traders in the area said seven were affected. According to a resident, Sikiru Ajiboye, a tailor, who has a shop along the axis, the incident couldn’t have happened if the PHCN management had reacted positively to their earlier complaints.
Ajiboye said the wire had fallen on several occasions due to its weak state, and that on two of those occasions, two people had died.
“We don’t know what to do again. We have been complaining about the state of these wires for a long time. Apart from being thin, the wires are also too weak and they fall so often,” he said.
According to him, rather than change the wires, the PHCN was fond of patching them, which usually makes it easy for them to break again. Residents also alleged that the electricity workers take advantage of the poor state of the wires to extort money from them, saying, “They always collect money from us before coming here to fix the wires for us.”
According to some of the traders in the market, casualties in the incident would have been more if the incident had occurred at the busier period of the day.
A survivor, Afsat Abiade, was at the Garden of Eden Hospital, Ibadan, receiving treatment. Others that were taken to the hospital after her had been badly burnt and died shortly after.
The ever-busy market was deserted when our reporter visited in the morning, while some motorcycle operators were seen on rescue operation.
Efforts to get reaction from the officials of the PHCN at Apata Business Unit was unsuccessful as the gate to the office was under lock and key, with armed policemen on guard.
When contacted on the mobile phone however, the Public Relations Officer of PHCN, Jide Oyenuga, said some external investigators would be involved to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident since lives were involved.
Confirming the incident, Mrs Olabisi Ilobanafor, Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, however, said only five people died, adding that two survivors were taken to a hospital for treatment.
She said the command decided to station policemen at the entrance of the PHCN Apata office to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
“We don’t want people to take law into their hands,” she simply said.
According to a youth leader in the area, Wahab Bamidele (a.k.a Wabo), who spoke to journalists, the wire fell as a result of the early morning rain.