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Benin Electricity Distribution Company confirmed that one of its technical staff members was injured in an electrical incident while performing maintenance work on an 11kV feeder in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The company’s Head of Branding and Corporate Communications, Evelyn Gbiwen, disclosed the incident in a Tuesday statement, saying it occurred at about 6:20 p.m. Saturday in the Ado-Poly Satellite Campus area of Ado-Ekiti.
The injured employee, technical linesman Akinyemi Bamidele, sustained burns to his arm and other parts of his body after receiving an electric shock while carrying out an operational task on the 11kV Basiri Feeder following scheduled maintenance work, according to the statement.
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Bamidele was taken immediately to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, where he is receiving treatment. Gbiwen said he is in stable condition and responding well to care.
“BEDC Electricity Plc remains committed to the safety and well-being of its employees and is providing the necessary support to the injured staff member during this period,” Gbiwen said. The company has commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, and Gbiwen said appropriate measures would be taken based on the outcome.
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BEDC serves as the licensed electricity distribution company for Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Ekiti states, one of 11 distribution companies created when Nigeria privatized its power sector in 2013, unbundling the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria into separate generation, transmission, and distribution entities. Electrical linesmen working on medium-voltage feeders such as the 11kV line involved in Saturday’s incident face recognized occupational hazards tied to live-line and post-maintenance work, including the risk of residual or unexpectedly re-energized circuits, a category of accident that has occurred periodically across Nigeria’s distribution networks and prompted intermittent calls from labor unions representing power sector workers for stricter adherence to lockout and isolation protocols during maintenance operations.
The statement did not specify whether the feeder had been fully de-energized and isolated at the time of the incident, what specific maintenance task Bamidele was performing when the shock occurred, or whether any broader safety lapse has been identified as a preliminary factor. It also did not indicate whether other staff members were present during the operation or whether power supply to the Ado-Poly Satellite Campus area was affected as a result of the incident. No timeline was given for when BEDC’s internal investigation would conclude or when its findings would be made public.
