PHCN official electrocuted in Osogbo

June 14, 2012 by Tunde Odesola, Osogbo

An official of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Mr. Abraham Akintola, was electrocuted in the presence of his wife and son, on Oke-Ola Street, Ota-Efun area of Osogbo, on Tuesday.

It was gathered that he was taking his son, who was going to the University of Ilorin to write the post-Unified Tertiary Examination Matriculation, to the garage when he decided to check a faulty transformer on the street.

His wife, who was going to work in the morning, was also with him when he was electrocuted.

Head, Public Relations Unit, Osun PHCN, Mr. Tade Sanya, told our correspondent on Wednesday, that the incident as unfortunate.

“He went there (to the transformer) to check a fault. Only eyewitnesses can give an account of what happened. None of our officials was with him,” Sanya said.

An official of PHCN, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said when Akintola got to the transformer, a wire snapped and hit him on the chest, killing him instantly.

A news item monitored on Osun State Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday evening said that Akintola had gone to the area to check a damaged cable when he met his sudden death.

An eyewitness, Miss Tope Adebayo, said that she overheard the deceased tell his wife that he wanted to check the faulty transformer.

Adebayo said, “The man was walking ahead of me and was telling his wife that he was only going to check what was wrong with the transformer.

“All of a sudden, the man was electrocuted and he was convulsing. His wife, who was obviously confused, ran around, seeking help from passersby. There was pandemonium on the street as people ran helter-skelter seeking help.

“His wife broke down and wept uncontrollably. It was too shocking and too sudden. It happened too fast. It was tragic. He died instantly.”

via Punch