A photograph taken by an Ibadan City Announcer photographer at Ogunpa Market has captured two men standing on top of a truck’s container and handling overhead wires, raising questions about public safety and the circumstances surrounding their intervention.
The image shows a wooden electricity pole leaning across the container, with several cables running close to the men. Neither man is visibly wearing a safety helmet or protective harness.
According to information supplied by our photographer, the men are not personnel of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). Their identities, qualifications and the precise purpose of their actions have not been independently established.
It is unclear whether the wires were carrying electricity, whether the supply had been formally isolated, or whether IBEDC knew about the situation.
The scene raises a troubling question: what would happen if electricity were restored while the men were handling the wires?
The photograph alone cannot establish whether they were responding to a fault, attempting to move cables obstructing the truck, or carrying out another intervention. It also does not establish how the pole came to be in that position.
Nevertheless, the proximity of the men, the truck and the overhead wires raises serious safety concerns in a busy trading area.
Had the situation been reported to IBEDC? If so, when, and what action followed? Was anyone authorised to intervene? Had arrangements been made to prevent electricity from being restored during the work?
Those who undertook or directed the intervention also have questions to answer: why were the men on the container, what precautions had been taken, and who was supervising their actions?
Suggestions that the men acted because they expected a prolonged power outage, had received no response to a complaint, or had been asked to pay an excessive fee remain unverified. These possibilities require investigation and cannot be presented as established facts.
If tragedy were to occur, responsibility would depend on evidence about the condition of the infrastructure, the truck’s movement, any complaints made, the electricity company’s response and the decisions of those involved.
The photograph provides a compelling reason to investigate before an injury or death turns those unanswered questions into a search for blame.
IBEDC’s clarification, alongside accounts from the men and the truck operator, would help establish what happened at Ogunpa Market and whether the danger has been addressed.
Photo: Ibadan City Announcer.
