A Chief Superintendent of Police CSP, Lasaka Habila, was electrocuted while cutting leaves from a tree opposite the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in Abuja on Sunday.
While his lifeless body was stuck to the tree, a machete along with severed tree branches laid at the foot of the tree, giving a clue as to his mission on top of the tree.
The FCT Ministerial Task-team on the Enforcement of COVID-19 Restrictions had days ago arrested a female herbs seller for cutting the bark of the same tree ostensibly for use in her business.
Vanguard gathered that CSP Habila might have been electrocuted when one of the tree branches touched the high tension cable which ran atop the tree.
The deceased was eventually brought down by the Search and Rescue team of the FCT Emergency Management Agency FEMA and taken to the National Hospital where he was pronounced brought in dead.
Speaking on the incident, Director General of FEMA, Alh. Idriss Abbas, who expressed sadness at the tragedy, advised residents to always seek approval from the Department of Parks and Recreation in the FCT before felling trees in the territory.
Abbas who noted that most trees would naturally bloom during the rainy season, said some branches are likely to come in contact with electricity cables which may transmit high currents through the leaves and branches.
“Residents should, therefore, avoid coming in contact with trees planted close to high tension cables and other electrical installations to avoid being electrocuted, as one may not know whether a tree is carrying a live electrical current which could be harmful to the individual”, he counseled. (Vanguard)
