Electrocution: CPC orders Abuja Disco to pay N10m for negligence

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has ordered the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to pay the family of an electrocuted boy in Abuja N10 million because of its technical lapses and gross negligence.
A statement issued by the Council, weekend, said that the order was as a result of a complaint from Mr Tade Ayodele that a live electric cable fell from a pole at the old Panteker Area of Kabusa, Abuja, in November last year, causing the electrocution of his son, Master Samuel Ayodele.
Responding to CPC’s investigation on the matter, AEDC dissociated itself from the incident, claiming in its letter dated December 7, 2015 that “the electricity distribution network in the community where the deceased lived is a substandard self-help project” that should not be attributed to it or any of its authorised agents.
Acting on the expert opinion of NEMSA, the Council ordered AEDC to pay the family of the victim the said compensation before the end of April this year.
The council also found AEDC liable for incorporating “this self help project” into its billing system by collecting payment from the community, while failing, refusing and neglecting to disconnect the purported illegal substandard installations.
The director-general of the council, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, said the development would cause a stop to the negligence in the provision of services by businesses.
She reiterated that in line with extant regulations and international best practices, Nigerian consumers would continue to be protected from all manner of consumer abuses.