Fourteen-year-old Achubio Ibrahim was electrocuted in July 2020 after stepping on a fallen live electricity cable following a downpour in Makurdi, Benue State. In this interview with JOHN CHARLES, her father, Abu Ibrahim, blames the accident on the alleged negligence of Jos Electricity Distribution Company, adding that the incident has rendered his family bankrupt
Your daughter was involved in an accident that led to the amputation of her right hand. Can you tell us about the accident?
My daughter’s name is Achubio Ibrahim. She is 14 years and some months old now but she was 13 years old when the accident that rendered her incapacitated happened. She was in Primary Three at Unique Kid Academy School in Makurdi.
The accident happened on July 25, 2020. I remember there was a downpour that day, which started around 4pm and did not stop till 2pm following day. She wanted to take a bath and decided to go to a spring close by to fetch water. The spring water is usually warm because it originates from a rock. She said she couldn’t use the rain water to bathe because it was cold. But unknown to her an electricity cable had fallen around the area a few days before.
She had already fetched the water and was coming back to the house when she stepped on the live electricity cable and was electrocuted. It was after the incident that we were told that the live electricity cable had fallen down about four days before and the community had called and alerted the management of JEDC (Jos Electricity Distribution Company) but they failed to visit the place to disconnect the cable. It was the cry of people in the community that made us to know that my daughter was electrocuted.
In what state did you find your daughter when you got to the accident scene?
Some youths in the community had rescued her before I got there. So, we rushed her to the general hospital at North Bank. But the hospital rejected her because of the seriousness of her condition. We then took her to a private hospital nearby, which also rejected her and referred us to the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi. Unfortunately, doctors were on strike at the time, so we had to go to St. Theresa Hospital. At St. Theresa Hospital, they (doctors) told us to go back home, that she was dead. But instead of going home, we took her to the teaching hospital where they admitted her and commenced treatment.
At what point was her right hand amputated?
The doctors said the hand had rotted and was threatening her life. The hand got burnt and looked like charcoal. The doctors said the rot was already eating into her armpit, so they suggested that the best thing to do was to amputate her hand. They said if the hand was not amputated she would die, so, I had to agree with them. We spent seven months at the teaching hospital before we were later referred to the Enugu Teaching Hospital.
How much have you spent on hospital bills?
Ha! Can I estimate it? I have sold all our properties, my motorcycle, furniture and other items, her mother even sold her handset just to raise money for the treatment. But roughly, we have spent at least a million naira, both borrowed and given money. We have some of the receipts. I told you I am a casual staff member; I took N80,000 loan and some of my superiors gave me money – some gave me N20,000, some gave me N10,000. Sometimes my wife would go to where she used to sell things to borrow money.
Was JEDC notified of the accident?
Yes. Their officials came three days after the incident to attend to the fallen live electricity cable. When they arrived, youths in the community wanted to unleash terror on them but they pleaded that they would visit the girl in the hospital.
Did they visit?
Yes, they came and checked on her at the hospital and intervened in the treatment.
By intervening in the treatment, do you mean they paid the hospital bills?
No, it was a little help they rendered. When we were referred to the Enugu Teaching Hospital, JEDC officials suggested that we should be referred to the University of Jos Teaching Hospital since their head office is in Jos. That was how we were referred to Jos Teaching Hospital. Actually, it was the JEDC officials that came with their vehicle to convey us to Jos. They promised that they would pay for the treatment. We visited Jos Teaching Hospital six times, we paid three times and they (JEDC) also foot the bill thrice. Later, they told us that there was no more money in their account and that we should source for money to continue the treatment. There was a man in their office in Jos who took pity on us and gave us N20,000. Besides that N20,000 we got nothing else from them thereafter. Each time I went to their office in Makurdi, they would direct me to their headquarters in Jos and when I went to Jos, they directed me to Makurdi. This happened almost six times and when nothing was forthcoming I resigned to faith. We had to come back home to raise money because all efforts to get JEDC to help in the treatment were not successful until doctors in Jos even advised us to meet human right activists to help us.
Did you do that?
Somebody contacted us that we should take JEDC to court and we contacted a lawyer who took the case to court in April, 2021 but in December of the same year the lawyer came to me and said he did not have the resources to pursue the case anymore and since I don’t have money too, we had to abandon the case.
What is your daughter’s condition now?
She’s better now but the doctors said she needs another surgery but we have not gone back as we don’t have the money.
We got a nurse who comes every four days to treat her at home but sometimes if we don’t have money to buy the necessary materials we will not invite her (the number). Like today (Wednesday) the nurse was supposed to come but we told her not to come because we could not afford the drugs. The drugs cost between N9,000 and N10,000 and we get that once in every four days.
Also, when we were leaving the hospital, the doctors recommended a special diet for her – six eggs a day, fresh fish, chicken and beverages. But we can’t afford all these things. We’ve been living on the goodwill of neighbours and church members. Even our Muslim brothers have been supportive. People have tried their best for us. But you know that things are hard now, so the help has gone down.
Is there anything else you wish to say?
I just want to appeal to JEDC to take up the responsibility of paying for her surgery; I am also appealing to government and good-spirited individuals for help. We have spent everything we have; we’ve sold everything we have; if you enter into our apartment, it is empty as we have sold everything, including the television and kitchen utensils.
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