“Where will I start from? Who will I run to? This is the end of me. I am finished.
He told me to cook rice for him before he left. Later I called him and he told me he will be home soon and I went to prepare the food, kept it warmed for him.
I was calling him later because he doesn’t keep late outside. He didn’t take his calls and I managed to go to bed to find sleep which was not satisfactory.
This morning, I was called by my pastor’s wife that we have a place to visit. I got dressed and followed her in her car, only for me to be informed at the terminus that my husband is dead”.
These were the heart-rending words of Helen, a wife of Augustine Izekor, an Engineer with Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDEC) who was recently electrocuted in a suspicious manner.
If the above narration from the wife, now turned into a widow isn’t convincing enough that late Engr. Augustine Izekor was a family to the core, hear what one of the daughter’s said when the news about his father’s sad death broke.
“My daddy has always told me of one Igbo man who is not happy with him in the office.
When I asked him what was the problem with the Igbo man, he said the Igbo man has always threatened that my daddy who is new in the station cannot head them, the old staff.
“My daddy was in the midst of colleagues who wanted him die. They should bring him back alive”, she sobbed.
Although there is no amount of compensation that would equate to losing not only a biological father and husband but a lovely and caring one for that matter as can be seen from the two narrations above.
BEDEC, has so far exhibited some level of commitment as a responsive and responsible company with human face devoid of bravado similar companies display in such circumstances.
The Town Hall Media, as a gate keeper recognizes the sincerity of BEDEC
at display.
It was gathered that the Company had since went to express sympathty with the bereaved family.
Again, one striking thing was the resolve by the Company, without waiting for the Police to use their internal security mechanism to fish out the suspects (their own staffers) – a move that there would be no cover up.
Good step indeed. Institutions shouldn’t wait until they are called out before taking the right steps in such circumstances.
The Chief Security Officer, CSO of the BEDC, Colonel David Aghedo, (rtd) said, “we have arrested those who went on the operations with him.
They were arrested at various spots and we are yet to get their response as per their involvement in the operation that killed him (Izekor).But however, we shall be relating with the family members as events unfold”.
The Head, Human Capital, Dr. Obi Obinna held a follow up meeting with the family members at the Corporate headquarters in Benin City, Edo State in company of other management staff.
According to Dr. Obinna “this is a rude shock to us at the BEDC and we know it is unbearable for the family too.
“It was an accident. But we cannot rule out the fact that there were no errors. The errors are 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”.
Dr Obinna further told the family that an Insurance company had been contacted and that the daughter, Jennifer Izekor whom Late Augustine Izekor had documented as his next of kin, will get the cash sum for compensation.
Also the widow of the deceased or any member of the family has been promised automatic employment in the company as well as “BEDC supporting the burial of our late colleague, Izekor”, said Dr.Obinna.
Late Augustine Izekor was not only a good family man to his nucleus family, hear what his immediate elder brother, Mr Friday Izekor told BEDEC management during the meeting with the family.
He said “we have hired a private investigator who is also doing his job and have come up with some facts.
We have been rightly informed that the incident occurred on October 26, at about 2 pm. His colleagues ran away and later returned about 4 pm to take him to the hospital around Airport Road.
He was unconscious at that time and when he managed to gain consciousness, he called my younger sister about 7pm, telling her that he had an accident.
.”My younger sister, Uyimwen, who was so worried rushed to the hospital where she tried to support him to survive the shock. But he couldn’t make it, and then gave up about 11pm. if my late brother was taken to the hospital on time, maybe he would have survived”, he wept.
The gamut of the tragic incident was that Engr Augustine Izekor was among BEDEC team who went on field operation to fix faulty line at Evbodia village near Benin City.
On getting there the supervisor among them was said to have called their Cntrol Room to switch off power as the usual practice to enable them work on lines.
But shortly after that while work was in progress another staff contacted the office to restore light leading to the electrocution.
Two takeaways from the tragic incident areOne: As can be seen BEDEC management didn’t dance around the matter. They admitted there was a fatal error in the process and was not involved in any sort of cover up.
They also identified meaningfully with the bereaved family whose hearts are presently bleeding.
Another is an admonition to anyone involved in office rivalry, jealousy, bickerings.
Thank God late Engr Augustine Izekor opened up to his daughter about the toxic relationship going on in the office as mentioned in the daughter’s account.
Whether that particular Ibo man had hands in the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Izekor it will take the grace of God for him to come out of the hook because, there is a particular popular adage that says – and witch cried in the night and a baby died in the morning, need we ask who killed the baby?
Adieu, Augustine IzekorYour beloved wife, children particularly that daughter of yours you opened up to, disclosing your sour relationship with a co-worker, relations, staffers of BEDEC are weeping.
Whether your death was purely a mere accident or manipulated by anyone seen or unseen, the hot tears shed already would definitely get to your Creator, the Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
