A 40-year-old widow with three kids, Mrs Joy Oluchi Osuchukwu, has been electrocuted to death by naked streetlight cables allegedly abandoned carelessly by some officials of Ebonyi State’s Ministry of Power.
The tragedy took place in front of Udoka Hall! along Water Works Road in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state.
The Late Oluchi hailed from Umunze community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, but was married to Late Mr Kingsley Osuchukwu from Nneato community in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State who died four years ago.
The late widow, until her death worked at Ezza South Local Government Headquarters of Ebonyi state.
According to eyewitnesses, the late Oluchi was returning home from the neighbourhood where she had gone to fetch water for domestic purposes, and unknowingly stepped on the naked cables.
Some shop owners who were at the venue of the incident told DAILY POST that the officials of the state’s Ministry of Power had worked on that particular streetlight cable earlier in the day and abandoned the naked cables.
They alleged that they had pleaded with them to cover it before leaving but they gave them flimsy excuse that they would come back later and left.
“That same day, at about 8:30pm, the woman passed through that area not knowing that there were naked cables there and she was electrocuted instantly”, narrated one of them.
When DAILY POST visited her family residence located on No 27 Ukwansi Street behind the Udoka Hall, the Chairman of Umunze Town Union, Ebonyi State chapter, Mr Uchenna Joseph Obi, narrated that her kinswoman, Oluchi, had returned from the church before the tragedy struck.
This was even as he blamed the officials of the state’s Ministry of Power for being responsible for her untimely death.
“The residents of that area told us that officials of the Ministry of Power in charge of the streetlights came in the afternoon that same day and worked on their streetlights. They abandoned those naked wires and left.
“If you go there now, you will still see those naked wires there. They just left them on the footpath where people pass often. We are very angry. This is carelessness on the path of the government officials.
“We have contacted the state governor, Chief David Umahi. We sent him a text message. We first contacted his deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe and afterwards, contacted the governor himself”, he narrated.
Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the state’s Commissioner for Power, Chief Emmanuel Uguru, on the telephone proved abortive as his phone was switched off.
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