Shock As 15-Year-Old Student Gets Electrocuted In Benue

A 15-year-old Junior Secondary School student of the Benue State University Technical College, identified simply as Emmanuel, has been electrocuted in Makurdi, the state capital.

The incident happened on Monday in Achussa, a suburb of Makurdi.

Narrating how the incident happened, the deceased’s uncle, Samuel Olokpo, said in the morning of April 19, 2021, men of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company came to the house when everyone had gone to work and disconnected four households from the supply source.

Olokpo said two of the neighbours brought out their bills and were immediately reconnected.

“In the afternoon, one Emeka, a boy of five years, was playing and mistakenly stepped on a naked wire and it shocked him. So, my nephew decided to roll up the wires to avert any further danger and in the process, he was a,” he stated.

The uncle added that a neighbour, Mr Jonathan Adi, said his wife told Emmanuel that electrical appliances in their apartment were still functioning despite the disconnection.

Olokpo stated, “We rushed Emmanuel to the Ushakaa Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and later deposited his corpse in the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.

“The JED officials came to the house to condole us. Meanwhile, we have notified our lawyers. Emmanuel was a quiet and level headed boy, who was gifted in handcraft and used to make shoes; that was why we enrolled him in a technical college.”

The deceased’s grandmother, Mrs Veronica Odo, a member of staff of the Benue State Hospital Management Board was devastated as she lamented that the negligence of the JED had cut short her grandson’s life.

“Can his memory ever be wiped off my mind? He promised to buy me a car. He was my only grandson,” she said amidst sobs.

A resident of Achussa, Mr Ejembi Oloja, complained bitterly about the activities of the power firm.

He narrated how on several occasions the company negligently left live wires dangling after disconnecting them.

When contacted, the new Business Manager, Makurdi District, JED, Mr Olaniyi Oluwale, refused to talk to journalists.