A student of Obafemi Awolowo University’s (OAU) Centre for Distance Learning (CDL) tragically died on Saturday after being electrocuted by a high-tension wire while retrieving a football in Moro, Osun State.
The incident occurred in a private hostel along the Moro/Ife route when the deceased, whose name was withheld, attempted to jump over a fence after fetching the ball from a neighboring compound. Witnesses said the high-tension wire, which had been loosened by a rainstorm the previous day, electrocuted him upon contact.
According to a local resident who spoke anonymously, the victim had been playing football with friends when the ball went into the adjacent compound. Following an informal rule that whoever kicked the ball out must retrieve it, he climbed the fence but accidentally touched the live wire.
“His friends noticed he wasn’t moving and used a stick to pull him away before rushing him to a hospital in Ipetumodu, where he was pronounced dead,” the source said.
OAU’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident, describing it as a painful loss. He explained that the deceased, a promising CDL student preparing for university admission, had joined the game for the first time that day.
“After throwing the ball back, he tried climbing the fence but touched the exposed wire,” Olanrewaju said. “He was rushed to the CDL health center and later to another hospital, where he was declared dead.”
The Director of CDL, Professor Femi Koya, has since notified the student’s family. Authorities have yet to comment on the condition of the faulty power line, raising concerns over public safety.
By Wisdom Osawe