Enugu community leaders raise alarm over dangerous underground cable
Concerned families in Amechi Uwani Awkunanaw community, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, have called on Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) managing director to de-energise the sub-station and relocate an armoured cable installed by an estate company.
According to a letter by their lawyer, Emma Onyibor, on behalf of Ozor Nnaji, Sunday Nnaji and Okwudili Nnaji, the site supervisor had contracted certain labourers to aid work on their family lands.
The family land has been a subject of a long-running dispute between a developer, Private Estates International West Africa Ltd.
“The labourers were undertaking manual digging on a section of the drainage being constructed and work was going well on Tuesday, September 1 when one of the artisans, Yusuf Isah, who hails from Katsina State, suddenly struck a heavy armoured cable which instantly erupted into an explosion of some sort.
“His saving grace may have been that the digger had a wooden grip. The entire community may have been thrown into mourning if the digger did not have a wooden grip which insulated the said labourer.
“The incident may have been overlooked, but for the fact that the entire land is currently being partitioned with infrastructure improvements thereon and more digging would be required.
“We believe the installation may not have been done according to strict EEDC guidelines.
“Considering the potential hazard of the armoured cable and because of possible leak as a result of the earlier explosion, we pray the management of EEDC to use its good offices to de-energise the entire sub-station and cause the armoured cable to be relocated out of the property.
“We are appealing for an accelerated response to this request as work has since continued on the site and the risk of a recurrence and/or permanent damage to life and property seems imminent,” the family said in the letter. (Daily Sun)
