Outage as 3 Patients Die at Kano Teaching Hospital After KEDCO Disconnected Power Supply Over Debt
- The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) lost three of its patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
- The hospital’s Chief Information Officer, Hauwa Inuwa Dutse, said the patients died after the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) cuts off electricity supply
- KEDCO’s Head of Corporate Communications, Sani Bala Sani, has reacted to AKTH allegation against the company
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Kano state - Three patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) lost their lives after the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) disconnected electricity supply to the hospital.
KEDCO disconnected the hospital from electricity supply over an outstanding debt of N949.88 million as of the end of August, 2025.
Source: Twitter
The tragic incident has triggered public outrage with many people describing it as an avoidable disconnection.
KEDCO Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Sani Bala, said the hospital risk further sanctions if it fails to settle its August bill of N108.95 million in full within 10 working days.
As reported by Daily Trust, the hospital’s Chief Information Officer, Hauwa Inuwa Dutse, lamented that the blackout had a direct impact on patients on life-support machines.
“On that very day, Friday, there were four patients on admission, and due to the power outage, three of them died.”
A source in the hospital’s pediatric unit said newborns were also struggling as the wards rely solely on power from generators.
The source further appealed to both AKTH and KEDCO to urgently resolve their disputes to prevent more loss of lives.
“The hospital has already begun to record deaths. If this continues, the catastrophe in healthcare delivery will only worsen.”
Hospital blackmailing us – KEDCO
KEDCO’s Head of Corporate Communications, Sani Bala Sani, accused the hospital of blackmail.
Read also
Stakeholders Urge FG to strengthen Digital Bridge Institute, not create new telecom academy
Sani dismissed claims that three patients died following the power outage, stating that electricity had already been restored even before their outburst.”
According to Sani, the crisis started as a result of ongoing effort to separate AKTH’s main hospital facilities from its staff residential quarters.
He said the plan was to join the hospital on the 33kV Zaria Road feeder (classified as Band A) which delivers an average of 22 hours of electricity daily.
Sani alleged that AKTH management had insisted that staff residences remain on the same feeder as the hospital.
“This led to a severe fault which caused the recent outage we had consistently sought to prevent,”
Kano teaching hospital begs for electricity
Recall that Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) appealed to KEDCO to restore electricity after patients on life support reportedly died from prolonged outages.
The hospital said the deaths were preventable, stressing that power cuts put vulnerable patients at severe risk.
AKTH noted it regularly pays its bills and spends heavily on diesel, assuring that efforts are ongoing to clear outstanding debts.
KEDCO set to build solar energy project
In a previous story, Legit.ng reported that J-Marine Logistics Limited and KEDCO signed an MoU to build a 100 MW solar energy project with a battery energy storage system to boost power reliability.
The partnership aims to provide cleaner energy, enhance industrial productivity, and focus on sectors with guaranteed returns on investment.
J-Marine Logistics will also produce electric meters locally and plans to manufacture up to 500 MW of solar panels annually to further support the region’s power infrastructure.
Source: Legit.ng
