Row over electrocution of carwash attendant in Lagos
A row has broken out over the death of a 26-year-old car wash attendant, Waliu Shokunbi, from electrocution while on duty in Alimosho area of Lagos State on May 1.
According to family sources, Waliu left his parents’ home in Alaramimo psrt of Oko-Oba, Agege, for work on the fateful day but did not return home in the evening as he always did, prompting his mother to make several calls to his mobile phone only to be told by a police woman that he was arrested alongside some boys.
According to Waliu’s bereaved father, Mr. Nurudeen Shokunbi, when his mother visited the Gowon Estate Police Division where he was said to have been detained with others, the officers said only his father could secure his bail.
“On May 1, 2025, Waliu left home in the morning for Fomas Car wash at Egbeda. When it was nightfall and he did not return home, his mother called his mobile phone repeatedly until a female voice who claimed that she was a police officer asked her to come over to the Egbeda Police Station to secure his bail.
“The police woman said my son was arrested with a group of boys while they were fighting at an undisclosed location. My wife went to the station with some of her friends and neighbours, but they were not allowed to see him.
“It was in the midst of her agitation to see Waliu that policemen at the station discreetly broke the news of my son’s death to those who accompanied my wife there.
“Those who went with my wife to the station managed to bring her home and told her that the policemen said my attention was needed at the station to perfect Waliu’s bail.
“I went there the next day only to be told that my son was electrocuted while he was working at the car wash which also doubles as car stand.”
Shokunbi explained further that at the station, he was presented with a written undertaking that he would not press charges against the car wash owner but he initially declined to sign the prepared undertaking.
“I disagreed and declined to sign the prepared undertaking, because I demanded to know the circumstances surrounding my son’s death, as the car wash owner claimed that he did not know my son because he was not on the payroll of his company as a bona fide worker.
“I rebuked his boss right there at the station for hiding my son’s death and pretending that all was well.
“The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station later brokered a peace meeting and asked us what we wanted and what the owner of the car wash could do to salvage the situation.
“Waliu’s boss then promised that he would take care of his burial and commiserate properly with my family.
“My younger brother and my younger son Lateef accompanied them to the Atan Cemetery at Yaba where Waliu was buried.
“The security men at the public cemetery told us to cement the tomb properly otherwise it would seem that we just wasted Waliu’s body.
“His boss has since stopped picking my calls. The DPO asked me to be patient with him when I reported to him that Waliu’s boss has stopped picking my call.
“Even the DPO subsequently refused to pick my call. It is unfortunate that Waliu’s boss who promised to visit my bereaved family and commiserate with us, especially my wife, has failed to fulfill his promise.
“It is unfortunate and illogical that the owner of the car wash claimed he did not know my son who worked in his company for more than four years.
“They said my son was without protective shoes when he experienced electric shock and was electrocuted on the spot.
“However, we learnt that some other workers had suffered a similar fate in the past.”
Speaking on the telephone with our reporter, the car wash owner, Mr Sunday Emmanuel Omega, said he was already planning to visit Waliu’s bereaved parents.
He explained that Waliu worked at the car wash on commission basis and not as a full employee.
He said: “Waliu’s father is a complete gentleman. But I don’t know what his family meant by not properly commiserating with them.
“To be honest with you, the boy’s death was painful and unfortunate, because he was one of the boys hustling at the car wash on commission basis and not as a full staff.
“I took full responsibility for all his burial and processing of necessary documents, including the death certificate that enabled us to bury his body at the Atan Cemetery.
“His death was an accident, because he went against our rules by working without shoes.
“He was on barefoot when he had electric shock and he was rushed to a hospital where he was confirmed dead.
“We got the police report and his body was taken to a public morgue from where he was taken to the Atan Cemetery at Yaba, Lagos for burial.
“When the incident happened, we stopped work at the car wash for two days.
“At the police station, one of the boy’s uncles asked for compensation and I asked him how we would reconcile that after spending about N700,000 on his burial, including the cost of transportation for his family representatives, ambulance, police permit and approval for his burial at the cemetery.
He added: “They (Waliu’s family) gave their consent for his burial via a sworn affidavit obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction.
“They should agree that it was an accident and the facts are there that he was barefooted when he was electrocuted.
“However, I have discussed with my team and we are planning to dispatch a team to the bereaved family to commiserate with them in two or three days from now.
“Of course, having spent thousands of naira on his burial, we felt that we cannot go there empty handed.’’
