PHCN Staff Electrocuted While Making Illegal Connection

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A senior staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, attached to the Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos district, Seye Balogun, has been electrocuted.

The 54-year old father of four was found hanging on a PHCN pole at Liasu Road, Egbe, Lagos, southwest Nigeria while working on a pole in the area.

Witnesses disclosed that he was trying to connect electricity for some residents of Egbe when power was restored to the area.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the late Balogun who had spent 16 years in PHCN before the tragic incident was well known in the area and had assisted many residents to resolve their power problems.

Some residents claimed that he used to collect N1,000 from them to assist them with power connection.

His death was reported at the Ikotun Police Station and his body was removed from the pole and deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.

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When P.M.NEWS visited the station, the divisional police officer, DPO, CSP Akika was not in his office to comment on the matter but a source there confirmed the incident, adding that investigation had commenced.

PHCN officials in Egbe told P.M.NEWS they were not aware that Balogun was on a pole in the area carrying out connection of electricity when they switched on power.

On who was responsible for his death, an official of the district who refused to disclose his name because he was not authorised to speak on the incident, said: “We are not responsible for his death. We didn’t know that he was carrying out electricity connection in the area. If we had known we would not have restored power to the area. He was doing an illegal connection.

“The standard practice is for a PHCN official from another district to take permission from the district head of the area he is working so that power can be switched off and restored later after completion of work. But in this case, nobody notified us of his presence in the area. If we knew that he was working on a pole there, we wouldn’t have restored power to the area at that time.”

—Cyriacus Izuekwe

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