Electrocuted Man in Nasarawa Not Our Staff, Disco Claims
The Abuja electricity distribution company (Disco) has said that a man - Tanko Lawal - who recently died from electrical shocks at the School of Health, Angwan NEPA Keffi in Nasarawa State was not its staff. It also said that another man - Mr. Mohammed Lawal - who invited Lawal perhaps to work on the electrical installation that electrocuted him, was also not its staff, stating that the deceased - Lawal and the man who invited him were unauthorised persons without approved access to its distribution facility. A statement from the Disco’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Oyebode Fadipe, claimed that the two men had illegally gained access to the distribution facility in the compound of the school to do a job for which they lack the required expertise and therefore did not take heed of safety rules that are absolutely necessary before working on any electrical circuit.
It noted that the deceased was invited by Mohammed Lawal, who up till 2016, was a staff of the Disco, to help restore electricity to the school.
He added that from investigations, while students of the school played football, their ball hit the lines which twisted and created a fault that led to the dropping of two J&P fuses.
“In an attempt to restore electricity, one of the students introduced Mohammed Lawal to the authorities of the school who in turn invited the deceased to the school,” the Disco said, adding that the lines feeding the school was without electricity from it as at the time of the incident but that the victim perhaps suffered electrocution as a result of back feeding from the generator of the school.
“Electricity was only restored to the lines about 4pm on the same day of the incident, which was long after the electrocution which occurred about 11am.
“Facts from the investigation also revealed that the deceased on arrival, obtained a steel ladder from the school and climbed the pole to close back the J&P fuses, which had dropped as a result of the fault created while the students were playing football. “While at the top of the pole, he managed to close the J&P fuses but made contact with cable that was apparently charged by electricity from the generator while he was trying to come down,” the Disco further explained. It noted that the death was re- grettable, and that the incident had brought back the need for unauthorised persons to stay away from its electrical equipment since they are illequipped to deal with such situations. “It is also important to state here that even if they have worked with the utility and have acquired expertise but are no longer staff, they are not authorised to have any contact with any property of AEDC anywhere especially the ones carrying electricity as they are no longer authorised persons who can be allowed to request for permission to open an existing circuit for safe working space,” it added.