A middle-aged man identified simply as Edward has died after being electrocuted while attempting to reconnect an electricity cable to a pole in the Kajola community, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The tragic incident reportedly happened around 1:30 p.m. on October 3, when Edward, known in the community for helping residents with minor electrical work but not an official of any power distribution company, was hired by a tenant to restore power to an apartment.
Tragedy struck when electricity was allegedly restored while he was still reconnecting the cable.
A resident who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday under anonymity said Edward’s body was later discovered near the electric pole where he had been working.
“Someone who lives close to the apartment at Kosedo in the Kajola area, where he died, asked him to help reconnect their light. He came that morning and collected money to rent a ladder. They left him there, hoping he would have completed the reconnection before they returned.
It was later in the evening that people became worried about his whereabouts. When they got to the point where he was working, his body was found lying motionless on the ground. It was believed that he was electrocuted when electricity was restored to the area around 1:30 p.m.,” the resident said.
Efforts to revive the victim reportedly failed, and his remains were later deposited in a morgue.
A photo obtained by PUNCH Metro showed Edward lying face down beneath the pole where he had been carrying out the job.
Another resident, identified simply as Sorinmade, said the incident led to the arrest of the tenant who engaged the deceased.
“The person who engaged him and some other tenants in the house was all arrested after the incident. It really caused a lot of issues. They also had to part with a huge amount of money before they were granted bail.
Edward was someone who went about assisting people for one work or another. He also did not have any family in the community. It was not too long after that his corpse was taken to his hometown for burial,” he added.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, could not be reached as calls to her line went unanswered, and a text message sent to her had not been replied to as of press time.
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