A five-year-Old child has been allegedly electrocuted in Benin City.

The victim identified as Agbonmwanre Vincent popularly known in her neighbourhood as ‘Orobor’ was found stone-dead beside a barbing saloon at 13, Amuamwosa Street, Off Airport Road, Oko, Benin City at about 11.25 a.m. on Wednesday.



 Though, the actual source of electrocution remained unknown, a naked wire allegedly connected illegally by the barber was noticed near the corpse.


 While some residents alleged that the electrocution came from a well connected iron strip used to properly affix a concrete pole with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) high tension cables, others however believed that the child may have accidentally held the wire that supplies current from the barber’s small generator to his saloon as he may have forgotten to hang the loose wire when PHCN restored electricity to the area on the fateful day.


 When The NIGERIAN OBSERVER visited the scene on Wednesday, sympathizers besieged the spot as the barber was said to have immediately locked his saloon and escaped.


 A police patrol van with the inscription ‘Airport Division’ and marked “NPF 6208C’ with four policemen were seen taking the remains of the little child away.


 A lady in the street blamed the mother of the girl for negligence as the victim and her siblings were famous for wandering in the neighbouhood.


 A visit to the victim’s residence, about four houses away from the scene of death, revealed that the parents had gone to the police to report.


 Hr elder sister, Adesuwa who bemoaned the death of her sibling, disclosed that her mother did not know when she left home.




NIGERIAN OBSERVER