By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Management of Kano Electricity Distribution Company, KEDCO, has strongly rejected claims suggesting that its activities precipitated the death of some patients on critical life-support at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH, Kano .
The Management of the AKTH had, on Sunday, September, 14, 2025, blamed the death of some patients on life-support equipment on the decision of KEDCO to cut off power supply to the tertiary health institution.
A statement from the AKTH spokesperson, Hauwa Dutse, expressed serious regret over the death of some patients in critical care after KEDCO abruptly disconnected the hospital from power supply over alleged non-payment of electricity bills.
The Management expressed fears that more could die if KEDCO fails to restore power supply to the institution.
However, reacting on Monday, September 15, 2025, in a statement from its spokesperson Sani Bala Sani, KEDCO described the accusation from AKTH as a failed attempt at blackmailing it.
According to the power distribution outfit, power had already been restored to the AKTH, even before its media outburst.
Debunking allegation of cutting off power supply, the Management of KEDCO attributed the brief power failure at AKTH to an official operation to separate the main hospital campus on Kano/Zaria Road from the staff residential quarters.
“The main campus and health facilities are connected to the top-priority 33kv Zaria Road feeder, enjoying an average of 22 hours of daily supply under Band A services .
“However, AKTH management has continued to insist that staff residential homes remain on the same feeder as the critical hospital facilities .
“This has posed repeated risks to the stability and reliability of the hospital’s dedicated power supply and, several attempts by KEDCO to separate the residential homes from the health facilities were unsuccessful due to the Management’s resistance.
”Unfortunately, this led to a severe fault which caused the recent outage we had consistently sought to prevent.
“To safeguard uninterrupted power supply to the hospital, KEDCO is proceeding with the separation of the two supply lines. This measure is necessary to guarantee reliability, safety and improved quality of service to the hospital”, Sani stated
This is as the power supply company alleged the accumulation of several millions of Naira unpaid electricity bills on the said controversial staff quarters supply lines.
According to Sani, owing to the negative impact, the non-payment of electricity bills is having on the entire system, the Management, through a letter dated August 12, 2025, and signed by Muhammad Aminu Dantata, KEDCO Chief Commercial Officer, informed about a planned withdrawal of services from the staff quarters, and non-essential units of the hospital.
According to the KEDCO spokesperson, repeated appeals over a reasonable period had failed to change the hospital management’s attitude, as it continued to make partial monthly payments.
“Despite repeated appeals, the hospital continues to make only partial monthly payments.This has resulted in an outstanding electricity liability of N949,880,922.45 as at August 2025.
“The hospital was requested to settle its August 2025 bill of N108,957, 582 .29 in full within ten working days to avoid service withdrawal from affected locations” KEDCO said.
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