High voltage surge kills two, razes houses in Kaduna Community

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

KADUNA — Two residents of Karatudu New Extension, Ungwan Romi, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, lost their lives. At the same time, several houses and properties were destroyed following a high-voltage electricity surge on Tuesday night.

The incident, which threw the community into panic, was reportedly triggered by a fault in a feeder line that affected the transformer supplying electricity to the area. The resulting surge reportedly sparked fire outbreaks, leading to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.

An eyewitness and resident, Mr. Sam Ajoga, told journalists that the power surge occurred around 9:00 p.m., causing widespread damage.

“The surge caused the death of Elder Johnson Babatunde Atteh, who was electrocuted while trying to switch off a deep freezer in his room, and a young boy, Joshua, who was electrocuted while attempting to plug his phone,” Ajoga explained.

He added that several houses were affected, with many electrical appliances destroyed. “Sadly, when I got back from church after receiving a call, my house was already on fire. I couldn’t salvage anything except my certificates,” he said.

A relation of one of the deceased, Chief Oyibo Atteh, described the incident as tragic and called for thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the power surge.

Although officials of Kaduna Electric were yet to issue an official statement at press time, a top company source, who was part of a team that visited the affected community, confirmed that a fault from the feeder line caused the incident.

“When power supply was restored, a problem from the feeder supplying the area led to serious damage to the transformer, and the resulting high voltage caused the fire outbreak that destroyed houses and properties,” the source explained.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna State Command, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the Command was yet to receive a formal report on the incident.

“Once we receive the report, we will investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire, the deaths, and the destruction to properties,” he assured.

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