A tragic incident has occurred in Nibo, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, where a male Point of Sale (PoS) operator was electrocuted by a fallen high-tension wire.
Eyewitnesses reported that the victim was standing in front of his shop, which was located directly beneath a high-tension line, when the wire suddenly snapped and fell on him.
The horrifying scene was captured in a video that has been circulating on social media.
The footage shows the lifeless body of the man lying on the ground with the wire still on top of him, emitting smoke and sparks even days after the incident occurred over the weekend.
Despite the time that has passed, sources confirmed on Tuesday that the victim’s body remained at the scene, still in contact with the live wire.
As of press time, his full identity had yet to be officially confirmed, but locals noted that he was recently married.
Reacting to the incident, the Managing Director and CEO of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Ossy Onuko, expressed his deep concern and reiterated the dangers of building or operating businesses beneath high-tension cables.
He said, “This is something we have been campaigning against from time to time, that it is very dangerous to build or trade under the high-tension wire.”
Onuko pointed out that the agency’s safety campaigns are often misunderstood or met with criticism.
“It is part of the reasons why most times, on social media, we are vilified as being inhumane for trying to let people know that they cannot either build or trade under the tension,” he said.
Describing the event as a devastating example of what their enforcement is meant to prevent, he called it “very pathetic,” emphasizing, “It’s a suicide mission to have your shop or your kiosk or your roadside activities under the tension.”
“The avoidable loss of life is unfortunate. It is sadly one example of many negative outcomes and resultant effects of such an act of negligence to safety.”
Onuko urged the public to take safety seriously and see it as a shared responsibility.
He warned that tragedies like this should serve as a wake-up call.
“That should serve as a deterrent to others who still indulge in such prohibited acts. This should also make the public understand that the sensitisation and enforcement being carried out by ACTDA against such things are not to witch-hunt them, but for their safety.”
“Unfortunately, we have lost a soul. I pray for the peaceful repose of this soul. But also, it should serve as a deterrent to others, that they shouldn’t just fold their arms and wait for us, when we come, they run away and return when we leave.”
He concluded by stressing the importance of proactive safety education: “People should see it as a personal responsibility to be safety conscious, and also enlighten others, not just themselves. No precious life is worth being lost to such a careless and avoidable death. A stitch in time saves nine.”
