Residents of four communities in Katsina State have taken to the streets to protest what they described as a six-month-long total blackout, saying the prolonged outage has crippled daily life and heightened insecurity.
Naijaonpoint reports that hundreds of protesters gathered in Barhim on Sunday, demanding the immediate restoration of electricity to Abuja Quarters, Barhim Layout, Sha’iskawa, and Tigirmis Quarters.
Community representative, Usman Mohammad-Alqasim, lamented the worsening hardship faced by residents, noting that the outage has persisted for half a year.
“For about six months now, thousands of people in these communities have been cut off from the national grid without any clear explanation,” The PUNCH quoted him saying.
Mohammad-Alqasim attributed the crisis to illegal structures built under a 33kV line, which the state government initially ordered demolished.
According to him, the demolition was abruptly halted following the intervention of the Batagarawa council chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Kawo.
“Some structures were removed, but work suddenly stopped after the intervention of the Batagarawa council chairman,” he said.
He added that although the chairman claimed funds had been approved for the relocation of the power line, no work had begun.
“Instead, the houses previously marked for demolition now enjoy electricity, while the larger communities remain in darkness,” he said.
The Village Head of Barhim Layout, Sirajo Aminu, described the situation as dire, noting that theft cases and insecurity had increased since the outage began.
“If not for a few concerned individuals, the suffering would have been much worse. Many residents can barely access water,” Aminu said.
He appealed to the state government to restore power and provide essential amenities such as schools, hospitals, and proper drainage systems.
Residents told journalists that they would continue to demand swift intervention, describing the situation as avoidable and unnecessarily prolonged.
Responding to the protests, Batagarawa Council Chairman, Yahaya Kawo, confirmed he was aware of the situation and assured residents that efforts were underway to resolve the crisis “this week.”
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