UNILAG student electrocuted

University of Lagos (UNILAG) students took to the streets yesterday following Tuesday’s electrocution of their colleague.

Miss Oluchi Anekwe, a 300-level Accounting student, was electrocuted when a high-tension cable fell on her at the entrance of New Hall, a female hostel.

She was returning from a lecture.

The late Oluchi was described as a brilliant student, who could graduate with a First Class, because of her high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).

Eye witnesses said Oluchi died on the spot, because help did not come on time. The school’s fire fighters evacuated her body from the scene.

The cable was said to have dropped from a pole close to the hostel and fallen on the late Oluchi, who was walking into the hostel at the time.

The protesters, led by the Students Union Government (SUG) leaders, moved to the Administrative Building, demanding to see the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Rahamon Bello. But, he was not around.

All efforts by top management officials to pacify the students failed as they insisted on seeing the VC.

Convinced that the VC was not around, the students went to the office of Dean, Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Tunde Babawale, who pleaded with them to return to their hostels.

The students accused the management of negligence, saying the cable had sparked severally in the last two weeks.

Matthew Banjo, a student of Faculty of Science, said: “This shows how insensitive the management can be on issues affecting students’ wellbeing. Members of the management cannot claim they did not have knowledge of the electrical sparks in the last two weeks. Yet, nothing was done because students are living in the hostels. Now, see what their negligence has caused.”

A 200-Level Mathematics student, Michael Osinuga, said all cables in the hostel and academic areas were run underground except those at the New Hall.

“We want the school to ensure the cables are run underground,” he said.

The students regrouped at the school main gate, barricading it to draw attention to the incident.

Addressing them later at the Amphitheatre, Prof Bello described the incident as unfortunate, saying the management had commiserated with the bereaved family.

According to the VC, the cable did not transmit electricity to the school hostel but served the nearby Onike.

He said: “We have written letters to the management of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC) that owns those cables to run them underground, but they did not comply. Because of this unfortunate incident, we will not allow further power transmission power through the bad cables to prevent another tragedy.”

The Public Relations Officer, Mr Goke Oke, in a statement, said the management had paid a condolence visit to the bereaved family.

Oke said the management had instructed the electrical company to de-energise the cable immediately to prevent another tragedy.