Tragedy in Nnewi: Mother and Daughter Electrocuted as High-Tension Cable Falls on Shop

 

A quiet afternoon in Nnewi, Anambra State, turned tragic on Monday when a woman and her young daughter lost their lives after a high-tension electric cable collapsed onto their shop. The victims, 55-year-old Mrs. Patience Ugbana and her 10-year-old daughter, Adaeze, were caught in the incident at St. Peter’s junction, Okpuno Nnewichi, within the Nnewi North Local Government Area.

According to the Anambra State Police Command, the fatal event occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. Officers at the Otolo Police Division received a distress call alerting them to the electrocution of two individuals at a shop located near the busy junction. Without delay, police personnel were dispatched to the scene, where they met a heartbreaking sight — the unconscious bodies of the mother and child, both victims of a live wire that had fallen from an overhead electrical installation.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Deputy Superintendent Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the details in an official statement released on Tuesday. He noted that the victims were quickly transported to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) in Nnewi. However, despite the urgency and efforts of the emergency response team, the two were pronounced dead on arrival by a medical doctor on duty.

Witnesses at the scene described the moment of the tragedy as sudden and horrific. Several local shopkeepers and passersby recalled hearing a loud cracking sound, followed by flashes of sparks as the high-voltage cable snapped and struck the building that housed Mrs. Ugbana’s shop. Before any intervention could be made, the victims had already come in contact with the live current.

Community members expressed their grief and frustration over the incident, pointing to concerns about the aging electrical infrastructure and the apparent neglect of maintenance by relevant authorities. “This is not the first time we’ve complained about low-hanging cables and unstable poles,” said Chukwuemeka Anayo, a local trader whose stall is adjacent to the affected shop. “Must lives be lost before something is done?”

The bodies of Mrs. Ugbana and her daughter have since been deposited at the NAUTH mortuary pending an autopsy. Meanwhile, the police have launched a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the electrocution. The command aims to determine whether negligence or faulty installation played a role in the incident.

Beyond the tragic loss of life, the event has reignited conversations around public safety and infrastructure oversight in the state. Several residents are calling on the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which services the region, to conduct a comprehensive audit of their power lines and to immediately address visible hazards.

DSP Mohammed emphasized that the police will not only investigate the technical cause of the power line failure but also assess potential culpability on the part of any regulatory or service body responsible for the maintenance of power infrastructure in the area. “This is a deeply unfortunate incident. We are treating the matter with the seriousness it deserves and ensuring that all facts are unearthed,” he said.

Local leaders and advocacy groups have also started to mobilize, demanding accountability and more proactive safety policies. The Anambra Civil Society Network, in a public statement, decried the deaths as preventable and vowed to pursue legal and civic channels to compel reforms in the state’s utility oversight framework.

Patience Ugbana, described by neighbors as a kind-hearted and industrious woman, had reportedly operated her shop at the same location for over a decade. Her daughter, Adaeze, a bright pupil in Primary 5, was often seen at the shop after school hours helping her mother. Their sudden deaths have sent waves of sorrow through the community, leaving many in mourning and calling for justice.

The incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers posed by deteriorating infrastructure in both urban and semi-urban areas. As the investigation unfolds, attention remains focused on whether this tragedy could have been averted — and how future occurrences might be prevented.