Ujunwa Okechukwuma, a mother of two, was tragically electrocuted on Wednesday evening at an electric transformer inside a market in the Mowe area of Ogun State. Her two children, Louis and Onyinyechi, are currently fighting for their lives in the hospital due to injuries sustained from the incident.
While some members of the community initially reported three deaths, including that of a pregnant woman, the state police command clarified that only Okechukwuma was electrocuted, and five others, including her two children, sustained injuries.
Other victims of the electric incident include Shuaib Saheed, Zainab Babatunde, and Okiki Azeez, who suffered varying degrees of injury due to the spark at the transformer.
Eyewitnesses recounted that officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) had warned shop owners about fallen electric cables on shop rooftops after a recent rainstorm. Despite the warnings, power was restored shortly after the officials left, leading to the tragic incident.
The IBEDC officials had previously advised shop owners against extending their shops close to the high-tension electric poles and warned of the dangers of placing iron roofs under the poles.
The state police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident, stating that only one person was electrocuted while five others sustained injuries. She noted that stakeholders in the community are working to address illegal power connections in the market.
This incident comes after a similar one on April 5 in the Papalanto community, where an electric transformer explosion killed a nine-year-old and injured his sister.
