*On the Unlawful Imposition of “Accrued Debts” on Kaduna Electric Customers
By Engr. Akin
Nigeria is witnessing a dangerous and unacceptable abuse of consumer rights in the electricity sector, and Kaduna Electric has now taken this abuse to a new and alarming level.
I stand in full solidarity with the courageous press alert issued by Alhaji Bashir Abdulraheem, which correctly described the current actions of Kaduna Electric as nothing short of economic oppression against law-abiding Nigerians.
What Kaduna Electric is doing today is not debt recovery — it is institutionalized extortion.
Thousands of prepaid and postpaid customers across Kaduna State have suddenly been labeled “debtors” and loaded with so-called “accrued outstanding debts” ranging from tens of thousands to millions of naira — without meter records, without bills, without customer consent, and without any reconciliation process.
Let us be very clear:
From NEPA to PHCN to Kaduna Electric, most Nigerians were subjected for decades to estimated billing, a system universally condemned for being inaccurate, exploitative, and corrupt. Customers were charged for power they never received. Complaints were ignored. Appeals were buried. Yet the bills kept rising.
Now Kaduna Electric wants to convert this historical injustice into digital debt bondage by forcing these unverifiable, disputed, and inflated figures onto prepaid meters.
This is illegal.
This is immoral.
This is economic violence.
Key questions Kaduna Electric must answer:
- How was each customer’s debt calculated?
Was it based on meter readings, estimated bills, or internal projections? - What period do these debts cover?
NEPA era, PHCN era, or only Kaduna Electric operations? - Where are the bills, records, and customer statements?
- Why were customers never given a chance to dispute these figures?
- Why are prepaid customers — who pay before consumption — being punished for alleged past inefficiencies and failures of the distribution company?
Suspension of online token sales is coercion.
Kaduna Electric has deliberately blocked online token purchases to force customers to physically visit their offices, where electricity is only sold after forced monthly debt deductions.
This is not customer service.
This is coercion.
This is collective punishment.
Electricity is a basic utility — not a weapon.
NERC must act or be held complicit.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was created to protect consumers. Silence in the face of this abuse makes NERC complicit.
Debt recovery is regulated. Metered customers cannot be arbitrarily billed. DisCos are not permitted to impose debts without audited billing, customer engagement, and legal process.
We therefore demand:
- Immediate suspension of all imposed “accrued debts”
- Restoration of normal token purchase channels
- Independent audit of all alleged customer debts
- Customer-by-customer reconciliation and dispute resolution
- Regulatory sanctions against Kaduna Electric for abuse of power
If this injustice is not stopped, Nigerians will be left with no option but to seek redress through public protest, consumer congress, and legal action.
Electricity consumers are not slaves.
Prepaid meters are not debt traps.
Nigerians deserve fairness, transparency, and dignity.
Signed,
Engr. Akin
Kaduna State
