By Duchess Ifeoluwa

The Forum for Human Rights Defence (FHRD) has called on the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to take urgent action over what it describes as a dangerous electricity pole at Okedasa Junction, Ondo City, warning that failure to address the issue could lead to a “traumatic situation in the community.”

In a letter dated August 8, 2025, addressed to the BEDC branch manager in Ondo, the human rights organisation appealed for immediate intervention to avert potential disaster.

The group said it had attached photographic evidence of the faulty pole to the correspondence, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.

FHRD, a civil society group formed to defend the rights of vulnerable Nigerians in line with the 1999 Constitution (as amended in 2011), stated that its intervention is part of its ongoing mission to protect lives and promote justice.

“We request your urgent intervention on this particular issue as we shall be very grateful to have a meeting with you for clarification urgently, to avoid further action on the issue. We pray that the situation will not result in any incident or accident anytime,” the letter read.

The organisation urged BEDC to direct the matter to the “appropriate desk” for a solution, stressing that the community’s safety should not be compromised.

Mr Akindolie Bolawa, who signed the letter on behalf of FHRD, reiterated that the group’s appeal is aimed at preventing loss of life or property.

“We plead to our able branch manager to urgently attend to us on this issue for justice, so it will not end in a traumatic situation in the community,” he wrote.

As of press time, BEDC had yet to publicly respond to the letter.