By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Concerns are mounting over what critics describe as widespread and dangerous abuse of consumer rights in Nigeria’s electricity sector, with the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) accused of taking the practice to an alarming level.
Kaduna-based social critics and electricity consumers, Engr. Akin and Alhaji Bashir Abdulraheem, raised the allegations in separate but related statements issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, accusing KAEDCO of institutionalising extortion under the guise of debt recovery.
Engr. Akin said he fully aligned with a public alert earlier issued by Abdulraheem, which he said accurately described KAEDCO’s recent actions as “economic oppression against law-abiding Nigerians.”
“What Kaduna Electric is doing today is not debt recovery; it is institutionalised extortion,” Akin stated in a statement titled “On the Unlawful Imposition of ‘Accrued Debts’ on Kaduna Electric Customers.”
According to him, thousands of both prepaid and postpaid customers across Kaduna State have allegedly been labelled “debtors” and burdened with so-called “accrued outstanding debts” running into tens of thousands and, in some cases, millions of naira.
He alleged that the debts were imposed without meter records, detailed bills, customer consent or any reconciliation process.
Akin noted that from the era of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) through the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to the current distribution companies, many Nigerians endured estimated billing, a system widely criticised for being inaccurate and exploitative.
He alleged that consumers were routinely charged for electricity not supplied, while complaints were ignored and disputed bills continued to accumulate.
“Now Kaduna Electric wants to convert this historical injustice into digital debt bondage by forcing unverifiable, disputed and inflated figures onto prepaid meters,” he said, describing the practice as illegal, immoral and economically oppressive.
He raised several questions, including how individual debts were calculated, whether they were based on actual meter readings or estimated bills, the period the debts allegedly covered, and why customers were not given opportunities to dispute the figures.
He also questioned why prepaid customers, who pay before consumption, were being penalised for what he described as past inefficiencies and failures of the distribution company.
Akin further alleged that KAEDCO had suspended online token sales as a means of coercion, forcing customers to physically visit its offices, where electricity tokens are allegedly sold only after compulsory deductions for the disputed debts.
“This is not customer service. This is coercion and collective punishment. Electricity is a basic utility, not a weapon,” he said, calling on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to intervene.
He warned that silence from the regulator would amount to complicity, noting that debt recovery in the power sector is regulated and that distribution companies are not permitted to impose debts without proper billing, customer engagement and due legal process.
The critics demanded the immediate suspension of all imposed “accrued debts,” restoration of normal electricity token purchase channels, an independent audit of all alleged customer debts, customer-by-customer reconciliation and dispute resolution, as well as regulatory sanctions against KAEDCO if violations are established.
They warned that failure to address the issue could force consumers to seek redress through public protests, consumer congresses and legal action.
“Electricity consumers are not slaves, and prepaid meters are not debt traps. Nigerians deserve fairness, transparency and dignity,” the statement said.
The allegations come amid growing scrutiny of electricity distribution companies nationwide. Recently, the Eagle Brain Human Rights Organization accused KAEDCO of violating consumer rights and reportedly issued the company a 14-day ultimatum to address the concerns or face legal action.
KAEDCO and relevant regulatory authorities had yet to issue an official response to the latest allegations at the time of filing this report.
