By Hilary Akalugwu
The Nsukka Catholic Diocese has confirmed the death of a student, allegedly electrocuted on Thursday night at the Queen of Rosary Secondary School, Nsukka, Enugu state.
The diocesan Director of Communications, Rev.- Fr. Matthew Eze, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka on Friday.
Eze, who described the the death of the student as shocking, prayed for the eternal repose of her soul.
He also prayed God to give the bereaved family and friends, students, management and staff of the school the fortitude to bear the death.
The school is owned and run by the Nsukka Catholic Diocese.
An eyewitness account said that the JSS2 student, identified as Maureen Amadi, was electrocuted around 9.30 pm outside her hostel.
She was said to have come out of her hostel to pick her clothes inside during a heavy downpour, when the incident occurred.
It was learnt that she got electrocuted when she allegedly had contact with a wire from an electric pole said to have been pulled down by a thunderstorm.
“Everybody in the school has been in a mourning mood over the death of the girl last night,” the eyewitness said on the condition of anonymity.
The Principal of the school, Rev.-Fr. Luke Eze, was said to have led a delegation of the school to Aku in Igboetiti Local Government Area (LGA) for the burial of the deceased, when NAN correspondent visited the school.
When contacted, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, said that the command had yet to receive the report.
NAN reports that the thunderstorm also destroyed buildings and other property worth millions of nairn in Nsukka town and its environs.
Some residents of the area described the effect of the thunderstorm as devastating and colossal.
Mr Onyema Idoko, the former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Nsukka LGA, said that the rainstorm pulled down a telecom mast in his neighbourhood.
He said that the mast in turn fell on top of the roof of his building, located at 52 Enugu Road, Nsukka.
Idoko said that he would need at least N500,000 to pull out the mast and fix the damaged roof.
He, however, thanked God that no life was lost in the unfortunate incident.
Also affected was the roof of St. James Catholic Church building at Umakashi in Nsukka LGA, which was reportedly blown off by the rainstorm.
It was further learnt that many trees, electric poles and structures at the Nsukka Mechanic Village were also pulled down during the heavy rain. (NAN)
