Nigeria: Katsina Residents Hit Streets In Protest Over 6-Month Blackout

Residents of Katsina State in northern Nigeria took to the streets on Sunday to protest what they described as six months of complete darkness.

The protesters lamented that the prolonged outage has crippled daily life and deepened economic hardship.

They called for urgent action to restore power to Abuja Quarters, Barhim Layout, Sha’iskawa, and Tigirmis Quarters.

According to the residents, the blackout has plunged more than 5,000 households into severe hardship, worsening water shortages and heightening insecurity in the affected communities.

A representative of the residents, Usman Mohammad-Alqasim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the long blackout has become intolerable for families struggling to cope.

“For about six months now, thousands of people in these communities have been cut off from the national grid without any clear explanation,” he said.

He attributed the outage to illegal structures built under a 33kV line, which the state government had ordered demolished before the exercise was halted midway.

“Some structures were removed, but work suddenly stopped after the intervention of the Batagarawa Council Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Kawo,” he said.

Mohammad-Alqasim added that although the chairman informed residents that funds had been approved to relocate the line, no work has begun.

Instead, he claimed, houses originally marked for demolition now enjoy electricity, while the larger communities remain in darkness.

The Village Head of Barhim Layout, Malam Sirajo Aminu, said the blackout has worsened theft and insecurity in the affected areas. “If not for a few concerned individuals, the suffering would have been much worse. Many residents can barely access water,” he said.

Aminu urged the state government to restore electricity and provide essential infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and proper drainage systems. The residents vowed to continue pressing for swift intervention to end what they described as an avoidable and painful ordeal.

Council Chairman Yahaya Kawo confirmed he was aware of the situation and assured residents that efforts were underway to resolve the issue “this week.”