By Enegrgy Worth
A boy, identified as Benedict Sani, has been electrocuted in the Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
It was gathered that the incident occurred in Eyaen community at about 1pm on Thursday.
It was said that the deceased was a teenager and a pupil of Eyaen Secondary School.
It was learnt that Sani had allegedly touched a fallen electric pole located around his school, unaware of some live wires around it.
It was also learnt that the victim died instantly as he was partially burnt.
The development was said to have sparked a protest by some residents, who blamed the Benin Electricity Distribution Company for allegedly failing to fix the pole.
The protesters marched to the palace of the Enogie of Eyaen, where they registered their displeasure.
The protest grounded the traffic temporarily on the Benin-Auchi Expressway.
The Edo Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chidi Nwabuzor, said that he had yet to get details about the incident.
Nwabuzor, however, noted that operatives of the command had been deployed in the area.
He said, “The command has dispatched police operatives to that place and they are currently there. It is only when they come with a report (that) we will know what the situation is over there.”
However, a resident in the area said the pole fell after a vehicle rammed into it on Monday.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said that complaints had also been lodged with the BEDC without any action taken by the company.
“Three days ago, the pole fell as a result of a truck that rammed into it. Today, one of the pupils of the Eyaen Primary School touched it and he was electrocuted,” the source said.
Reacting, the BEDC said that it would investigate the incident and take appropriate action.
The Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Tayo Adekunle, said, “I am just getting to know about the incident. Our field officers have yet to send a report concerning that particular incident.
“As soon as we get the report from our field officers, we are commencing full investigation into the issue. And we will take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation.”
