Grief enveloped the residents of Isaiah Morah Close in Awka, Anambra State, on Saturday, May 24, 2025, after a three-year-old girl was electrocuted by a fallen high-tension cable reportedly belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
The child, who lived with her mother in a partially completed and abandoned building, was said to have accidentally stepped on the live cable while returning from fetching water.
Residents said the cable had fallen on Friday, and despite repeated calls to the electricity company, EEDC officials allegedly demanded N30,000 before attending to the hazard. Even after the amount was reportedly paid, technicians failed to show up in time.
A local resident, Uche, shared the harrowing details:
“The cable fell on Friday. We tried to get EEDC to fix it, and after so much delay, they came only after the little girl had already been electrocuted. She was rushed to Awka Medical Centre but sadly didn’t survive.”
The tragedy has sparked outrage in the community, with many blaming the power company for negligence and a lack of urgency in addressing dangerous infrastructure faults.
When contacted, Anambra State Police Command spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the incident had not yet been officially reported. Similarly, EEDC’s Communication Manager, Emeka Ezeh, stated he had no prior knowledge of the incident and would investigate.
The community is now demanding accountability and a comprehensive review of how EEDC handles emergency electrical faults—especially those posing threats to life.
