16-year-old student electrocuted while fetching water in Abuja school

Meshack Agaba, a 16-year-old student of Government Science Secondary School Maitama, died of electrocution on school grounds, according to reports.

The school administration has remained silent about the event that occurred last Wednesday.

One of the parents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the boy was on his way to get water from a tap when he unintentionally stepped on an electric cable that had fallen off an electric pole inside the school grounds.

“The electric pole and the cable had been lying in the area before the incident. The school management didn’t do anything about it. However, Agaba was trying to fetch water last Wednesday morning because they normally wake up at 5am to fetch water,” the source said.

“The boy is in the same hostel as my child. The place was slippery, and as he was trying to regain balance, he mistakenly stepped on the conductor, and he was electrocuted instantly. I’m surprised that even after the incident, that pole has not been fixed by the school management. The only thing the management did was post the picture of the boy on a wall with the ‘Gone too soon’ inscription.”

The parent also lamented that despite the incident, the school management had been trying to change the narrative after the police were involved, claiming that the boy had wanted to jump the fence when the cable fell on him.

“They didn’t say the thing that led to the boy’s death. They pretended as if it were just a normal thing. Nothing was said about the incident. Since the incident happened, the Parent-Teacher Association’s social media platform has been locked. Parents are not allowed to speak about the incident on that platform. The school is one of the top secondary schools in the FCT.

“The police even came to pick up the principal. The school management lied, saying that the boy was trying to jump through the fence when the cable fell on him. How can someone who was only wearing a towel attempt to jump the fence at that time of the day?

“I also learnt from my child that when they were rushing him to the hospital, the school security was asking for their exit card. The boy died as a result of the delay. The school did not want to take responsibility for what happened. To date, the fallen pole has not been fixed while academic activities are ongoing. The school management didn’t even say anything about it.”

The vice principal administration of the school, Mrs. Dogo Suzie, failed to speak on the incident when contacted.

But the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident adding that the command had begun an investigation into the matter.