Four employees of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the recent electrocution of their colleague, Engineer August Izekor.
The Chief Security Officer of BEDC, retired Colonel David Aghedo, on Tuesday verified the arrest of the engineers who accompanied Engineer August Izekor to Evbodia on the fateful day when the accident occurred.
He disclosed that the suspects were apprehended at various locations within Edo State by BEDC security personnel.
Subsequently, they were handed over to the police at the Iyekogba Police Division in Oredo local government area, where they underwent questioning and are presently being detained.
“They were arrested at various spots. We are yet to get their response as per their involvement in the operation where he was electrocuted,” said Aghedo.
The incident unfolded when Engineer August Izekor, who worked at the Etete office in Benin City, left his post on October 26, 2023, to restore power to the Evbodia community due to a reported power outage.
It was during this operation that one of his co-workers allegedly ordered the restoration of power, which ultimately led to Izekor’s electrocution.
Family members of the deceased voiced concerns and pointed fingers at one of his colleagues.
They alleged that the deceased had accused this co-worker of conspiring to harm him due to his recent promotion as the department head.
However, the State Police Command spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, denied having knowledge of the suspects’ arrest.
Meanwhile, officials from BEDC held a meeting with the late Izekor’s family at the company’s corporate headquarters in Benin. They had earlier paid a condolence visit to Izekor’s wife, Mrs. Helen Izekor, and their children.
Dr. Obi Obinna, the Head of Human Capital, who led the BEDC management team, expressed deep sorrow over Engineer Izekor’s untimely death.
He stated, “It was an accident, but we cannot rule out the fact that there were no errors. The errors were avoidable, but it still occurred. We are very sorry over the loss and we guarantee the family that we will stand by them according to the laid down procedures of our organisation,”
He assured the family that the company would provide support according to its established procedures.
The deceased’s immediate elder brother, Mr. Friday Izekor, revealed that the family had hired a private investigator to unravel the circumstances surrounding the engineer’s death.
He lamented the delay in taking his brother to the hospital, stating that if he had received timely medical attention, he might have survived.
