Katsina Communities Protest Six-Month Power Outage

Residents of four communities in Katsina State on Sunday staged a protest over a prolonged power outage that has plunged their neighbourhoods into darkness for about six months, disrupting livelihoods and worsening insecurity.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Barhim, calling on authorities to urgently restore electricity to Abuja Quarters, Barhim Layout, Sha’iskawa and Tigirmis Quarters.

Community members said the blackout has affected more than 5,000 households, leading to acute water shortages, economic hardship and rising security concerns.

A community representative, Malam Usman Mohammad-Alqasim, described the situation as unbearable, noting that residents have remained disconnected from the national grid for months without a clear explanation.

“For about six months, thousands of people in these communities have been without electricity. This has made daily life extremely difficult,” he said.

Mohammad-Alqasim attributed the outage to illegal structures erected beneath a 33kV power line, which prompted a state government-ordered demolition exercise that was later suspended.

“Some buildings were demolished, but the exercise stopped midway after the intervention of the Batagarawa Local Government Council chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Kawo,” he said.

He added that although residents were informed that funds had been approved to relocate the power line, no work has commenced, leaving the affected communities in darkness while areas with previously marked buildings now enjoy electricity supply.

Also speaking, the Village Head of Barhim Layout, Malam Sirajo Aminu, said the prolonged blackout has heightened crime and insecurity in the area.

“The lack of power has made life very difficult. Access to water is a major problem, and insecurity has increased,” he said, urging the state government to restore electricity and provide basic infrastructure such as schools, healthcare facilities and drainage.

Residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they would continue to press for immediate government intervention to end what they described as an avoidable hardship.

In response, Batagarawa Council Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Kawo, confirmed awareness of the protest and assured residents that steps were being taken to resolve the problem, expressing hope that the issue would be addressed within the week.