For more than a decade, Mrs. Nancy Onyebuchi Okafor has earned a living selling newspapers at the ever-busy Aroma Junction in Awka, Anambra State.
Every day, she opens her stand like countless other small business owners trying to survive the harsh realities of the economy.
But what began as an ordinary business day suddenly turned into a terrifying fight for survival when a violent electric spark from a faulty power facility nearly claimed her life.
Still visibly shaken by the experience, Mrs. Okafor narrated how she narrowly escaped death after an electricity installation belonging to First Power Distribution Company sparked violently at her business location, leaving her unconscious with burns on her body.
“Honestly, I was electrocuted. I thank God that I survived the fire spark. The spark hit me and I became unconscious.
“When I regained consciousness, I discovered that I had sustained burns on my body and hands,” she recounted emotionally.
“I was eventually able to recover, but it was difficult for me to even sit up afterward.
“I suddenly heard a loud spark and the fire fell on me. though was not close to or standing directly under the wire.
“The distance was about 20 feet away. It was a terrible experience,” she said.
Mrs. Okafor explained that immediately after the incident, she thought she had suffered a stroke because her tongue and mouth became twisted and difficult to control.
Miraculous survival
For the mother and trader, survival itself now feels like a miracle.
Despite recovering from the immediate shock, she admitted that the physical pains from the electrocution have not completely disappeared.
Around the busy commercial area, traders and passersby reportedly rushed to help as panic spread following the loud electrical explosion.
Another man who stood close to Mrs. Okafor was also struck by the electric spark and sustained injuries.
Residents familiar with the area say power sparks from the overhead electricity wires are not entirely new, but Mrs. Okafor insisted that this particular incident was unlike anything she had witnessed in her ten years of operating at Aroma Junction.
“I have operated at this location for over ten years and the wire sparks occasionally.
“But this particular one was the heaviest of them all.
“Even the manager of the filling station nearby said the electric shock affected the ground within the filling station,” she stated.
According to her, the fault was later traced to the Nawfia axis, while officials of the First Power Distribution Company eventually visited the scene after the incident.
“The officials came to see us, but by then, the man who was badly affected had already gone home for treatment,” she said.
Worried about daily safety
Although grateful to be alive, Mrs. Okafor said the frightening experience has left her deeply worried about the safety of people who work and move around the area daily.
“We truly thank God that we survived and are still alive.
“It is a thing of joy and gratitude that we escaped such a horrible incident, although the pains are still there,” she added.
When asked whether she still feels safe operating around the electricity wires passing through the area, her response reflected lingering fear and concern.
“How can I be comfortable?” she asked.
She warned that the situation could easily have resulted in a major tragedy if the live wire had fallen directly onto the ground in the crowded junction.
“If the wire had touched the ground, the two of us would not have been the only victims.
“Many people would have been affected. There could probably have been multiple casualties,” she said.
For Mrs. Okafor, what remains most painful is the realization that an ordinary day of trying to earn a living nearly became her last.
