By Ebuka Onyeji
Tragedy struck on Sunday evening in Dakibiu, a suburb in Jabi area of Abuja, when a high voltage electrical cable killed a resident, after breaking off its line due to heavy winds.
The highly charged wire electrocuted Mudi Ajah, a builder and father of three who was having a drink with friends at a popular bar known as “44”.
A witness, Saviour, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Ajah died after leaving his friends briefly to take a pee. He spotted the severed line and tried to remove it with bare hands.
He died on the way to the hospital, the witness said.
Shocked family members could not give more details to the media. Police could not be immediately reached.
One of the victim’s friends, Friday Okoro, described him as a very peaceful and hardworking man.
He accused the Abuja electricity distribution companyof not always moving quickly to remove cut cables that constitute clear danger to locals.
He said broken electrical wires were a common sight in the poor community.
Another resident of the area, Deborah, who sells palm wine, lamented Mr. Ajah’s death, saying it was not the first time such incident happened.
“The other day a heaving rain brought down the high-tension wire and it fell on top of the roof of my shop, it took the power authority two days to come and remove the wire, I think the power authority should be up and doing in this kind of issue because any issue that concerns electricity concerns life,” she said.
Burial arrangements for the deceased Mudi Ajah, a native of Nassarawa State, commenced immediately as he was a Muslim.