Calabar Tragedy: Govt. Considers Legal Action Against PHED

The Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade has said that the state is considering taking legal action against the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC), following what he described as negligence of duty on the part of the company which led to the electrocution of football lovers at Nyangasang, Calabar Municipality.

Read Also: Many Football Fans Electrocuted At Calabar Viewing Centre

“This is a clear case of negligence because normally, in International standards, when you design a power carrying structure like this one, as a transmission line, it is designed in such a way that at any point in time that there’s failure on the line, the cable cuts, it’s just by automation that power cuts off from such a cable.

“For us as the government of Cross River State, we will be meeting with a team of lawyers to tell us what to do,” Ayade stated.

The governor who thereafter, visited the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital to see survivors of the tragic incident, could not hold back his tears on sighting the critical state of some of them.

He, therefore, ordered that one of the most critically injured victims be flown abroad for proper medical attention.

As gathered by Channels Television, the victim, Ferdinand Anok, who was an immigration officer, suffered 80% burns which left his internal organs exposed.

“One of them needs to be taken out of the country and the state government will do that immediately. I have instructed the Commissioner for Health, she’s going to work with the Deputy Governor to ensure that we arrange an urgent visa and fly him out of the country.”

Governor Ayade also visited the community where he reassured them of the State government’s financial support especially for the families of the bereaved.