It was a tragic day for the families of Lastampa and Odubeko in Ikorodu on Sunday, December 9, 2018, when a high tension wire allegedly belonging to the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC), dropped from the pole on the night of that fateful day and burnt completely their daughter, Mrs. Mutiat Okanlawon, at Solebo Estate.
Since then, many residents in Ikorodu have been questioning the officials of IKEDC for not coming to the rescue and paying attention to the woman in the hospital to save her life before she eventually died on Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at the Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, where she spent over three weeks. Thet argued that perhaps, if the officials of the power company had taken prompt measure, the woman could have been saved.
Meanwhile, sources in the families told Oriwu Sun that late Mutiat was seeing off a friend, who had visited her on that fateful Sunday, when the tragedy struck. They disclosed that an eyewitness, who alleged that the wire that fell on the deceased was responsible for her death, had immediately informed officials of the Ikeja Electric to switch off the power as soon as the wire fell and landed on Mutiat. The part of her body that was affected at first was the calf and the damage appeared more like a machete cut, which was so deep that her bone could be seen. Also, the wire was said to have rolled up to her stomach and burnt her intestine, laps, hands and other parts of her body severely except her face and neck.
Some sympathisers were reported to have used a stick to remove the wire from her body. Her lover, who rushed to the scene of the incident after receiving the sad news, was said to have shouted for help as he was in shock and did not know what to do while some people reportedly assisted him in carrying the deceased into the car and rushed her to Ikorodu General Hospital. She was later transferred to Gbagada General Hospital because Ikorodu General Hospital does not specialize in treating severe burns.
The family sources also explained that the deceased, who had a son, Farhan, was reportedly instructed to eat one crate of boiled egg daily and vegetables because she needed a lot of protein in her system due to the severity of the burns she suffered as a result of the electrocution, adding that at some point, she couldn’t breathe and was placed on oxygen. They claimed that the gruesome death of Mutiat, who had celebrated her 40h birthday sometime in August, 2018, was due to the negligence of IKEDC, which is why they are demanding for justice.
According to them, if the firm had maintained a regular maintenance checks on its facilities, the unfortunate incident could have been averted. It was also gathered that the deceased’s mother, who was by her bedside when she died, said that her death was a terrible loss and sad experience for her, lamenting that despite spending over N2m to keep her alive, she still died. She explained that her daughter spent three weeks in the hospital fighting for her life as she went through serious pains and that when she knew she was going to die when she kept telling her to look after her son. The elderly woman reportedly urged the government to assist her in getting justice so that she would not suffer the terrible loss in vain.
Also, a female source within the family stated that the deceased, at some point in the hospital, had asked one of the nurses treating her to inject her to death due to the agony she was going through.
She also alleged that the representatives of the IKEDC, who visited the deceased in the hospital before her death, gave them only N10,000, which they initially rejected After much pleading, they collected the money. She also claimed that the electric firm knew that Mutiat was electrocuted due to the carelessness of its staffers, adding that the family has decided to conduct an autopsy on her corpse to ascertain that fact, after which they would sue the firm to court to get justice.
Meanwhile, Oriwu Sun gathered that IKEDC had confirmed the incident and had also commiserated with the deceased’s family while it has also reportedly commenced investigations into the events that led to Mutiat’s death.
Additional report from The Punch
LASTAMPA’S FAMILY REJECTS IKEDC’S N7 MILLION OFFER
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased lady is threatening to sue Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) for aggravated injuries inflicted upon their daughter who was not only neglected by IKEDC but also suffered severe pains in hospital for nearly a month.
The family, which said they spent over N2million on the treatment of their late daughter, is said to have rejected an alleged offer of N7million by Ikeja Distribution Company to them.
According to sources, the family considers that amount inappropriate considering the terrible body injuries, pains, degradation and other collateral damages which the tragedy caused the late woman and her entire family circle.
Eye witnesses had joined the family of the deceased to condemn and even curse the power authorities for their insensitivity after the incident and the paltry ten thousand naira (N10,000) which was said to have been provided by them before the lady died in hospital.
They are asking for a punitive punishment to be meted out to Electricity Company to serve as a future deterrent.