By; YAKUBU BAYAMBE
It was on a Wednesday, precisely the 27th of April 2022 when the residents of Tumfure, a thriving community in Gombe metropolis, woke up to a news that shook its foundation. The news was the death of three persons who bid the world goodbye in a suffocating, painful and undesirable process of electrocution.
To many, it was indeed a black Wednesday while to some others it was an incident never to be forgotten in a hurry. Eyewitness account had it that the trio died in the early hours of the fateful day after a high voltage surged from a nearby transformer disrupted the normal flow of power in a sense that metals in houses within a certain radius became active to deadly electrical current. While some few lost valuables to the incident, others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
However Andy Abu Yaro, a father of two and Mrs. Patrick Okeke and her daughter were not that fortunate. For Mrs. Patrick Okeke it was gathered that her daughter who rushed to rescue her also fell victim to the deadly electric current.
It was an unpleasant and unpalatable incident deserving of every empathy and sympathy the families of the victims can get to perhaps douse their emotional and psychological damage.
Thus, the prompt visit of the Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to the scene of the incident few hours after the unfortunate incident was perhaps a sympathy and solidarity anyone can hope to have especially in such a trying moment.
At the scene of the incident which was literally enveloped with grief, sorrow and disbelief, a visibly disturbed and saddened Governor Inuwa Yahaya commiserated with the affected families, urging them to see the sudden death of their loved ones as an act of God. “On behalf of the government and people of Gombe State, I extend our sincere commiserations with all those who have lost loved ones; we would ensure that there is no repeat of this kind of unfortunate incident in the state. At the level of Government, I assure you that we shall take adequate measures to prevent such from happening and we shall equally seek justice for the the victims”.
The Governor equally visited the home of Pastor Solomon Ayanwale whose family members escaped by the whiskers but lost valuables to the incident. In all the places visited Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya announced a cash donation of five hundred thousand naira each and directed the State Emergency Management Agency SEMA to immediately assess the situation and provide relief materials to the affected families.
The Governor’s milk of human kindness did not only stop at those who lost loved ones and properties but equally extended to individuals that sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving treatment in hospitals across the State capital. Further irked by the incident, the governor directed relevant officials to look into the remote and immediate cause of the electrocution with a view to finding a lasting solution.
The Governor’s visit to the electrocution victims in Tumfure and the cash donations as well as the soothing words offered to the affected families and the entire community, indeed smack of excellent and responsible leadership deserving of commendation and appreciation by all.
Bayambe wrote this piece from Tumfure
