Electrocution : Decease Family Demands N10mFrom PHEDC

By Kingston Obung

Calabar

The family of a student of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), electrocuted in Calabar last week, is demanding N10 million from Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) as compensation.
This is coming even as the landlord of the resident where the incident happened, Mr. Richard Asuquo Ikpeme, yesterday accused the electricity company of outright negligence, saying that despite
repeatedly drawing the attention of the company to the faulty cables hanging loosely on a pole by his house, the company gave deaf ears.
The family, which spoke through its lawyer, Barr Edet Essien, in a letter addressed to PHED and obtained by our reporter, is demanding the reparation for the pains which David’s sudden death has brought to them, particularly the mother, said to be a widow.
The letter said the student was an orphan whose life was abruptly terminated by obsolete and loosely-nit high tension cables, and that although no amount of money could be equated with the victim’s life, the amount would reduce the pains of “the pathetic and struggling life Mrs Inyang has been exposed to since nine years ago when she lost her husband, compounded by her son’s tragic death.”
It read in part, “before the final onslaught by the PHED defective cables, complaints to the Calabar district office had assumed the level of a recurring decimal. We strongly demand and call for financial reparation to the tune of N10, 000, 000 from your company.”
The victim’s mother, Inyang, who was sobbing profusely during a chat, appealed to Governor Ben Ayade to help her out of the devastating condition.
She said, “I have lost my only son, the light of my world, I didn’t come out of the apartment with a pin, apart from the wrapper I tied, we lost everything. I have been managing to train my two children
Cherry and David, since their father died in 2009 but now my only son is gone, I’m devastated, I don’t even know from where to pick up the pieces of my life.”
When contacted, the acting Chief Executive Officer, Kingsley Achife, who spoke through Mr John Onyi, Head of Corporate Communications, promised never to abandon the victims, adding that the company had already visited them and would do the needful.

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