"KERC FINDS KEDL GUILTY OF ILLEGAL TAPPING, NEGLIGENCE" — ORDERS RECONNECTION, BILL RECALCULATION IN KAROMSI HOTEL SERVICES CASE



The Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission, KERC, has found Kogi Electricity Distribution Limited, KEDL, guilty of unauthorized electricity tapping and professional negligence in its dealings with Karomsi Garden Hotels Limited, Lokoja.

In its resolution dated 11th August 2026, the KERC Forum ruled that Mohammed, a KEDL staff, engaged in unauthorized tapping of the hotel’s dedicated line, in breach of Section 106(1)(o) of the Kogi State Electricity Law 2024.

The Commission also held that Kogi Electricity Distribution Limited KEDL violated Sections 20, 24 and 25 of the KERC Customer Protection Regulations 2025 by disconnecting the hotel’s premises on 27th April 2026 at 8:15pm without prior notice while complaints were still unresolved.

On technical issues, KERC found KEDL professionally negligent in the installation of the hotel’s transformer, citing a faulty neutral line and improper earthing that caused low voltage and damage to appliances.

Regarding billing, the Commission noted a significant and unexplained increase in the hotel’s bill from an average of N697,220 to N3 million. It ruled that this contravened Section 28(3) of the CPR 2025, which prohibits artificial inflation of estimated bills.

However, the Forum dismissed the hotel’s N50 million damages claim, stating it lacked jurisdiction under Section 45(2) of the CPR 2025. It advised that monetary compensation must be pursued through an appeal to the Commission.

ORDERS ISSUED BY KERC:
1.  Reconnect Karomsi Garden Hotel within 7 days
2.  Recalculate and issue fresh bills covering January 2025 to March 2026 within 14 days  
3.  Replace the “recovered” meter with a brand new one at no cost to the customer
4.  Rectify all technical faults including neutral line and earthing
5.  Investigate and refer Mohammed, Engineer Oke and other implicated staff to the Kogi State Special Task Force on Electricity Theft
6.  File a compliance report with KERC within 30 days

THE PETITIONER’S ALLEGATIONS  
The case was instituted by Karomsi Garden Hotels Limited through its Counsel, A.S. Akpala & Co., in a petition dated 4th May 2026. 

The hotel accused KEDL of subjecting it to “unprecedented torment” that crippled its business. It alleged that in November 2025, an individual, with the help of KEDL staff Mohammed, illegally tapped its dedicated transformer line to supply a chicken feed factory. 

The hotel further alleged that KEDL officials later burnt its meter and replaced it with a “recovered” meter after collecting N500,000. 

In December 2025, after purchasing a new transformer for N6.2 million, the hotel said it continued to experience low voltage which damaged 9 air conditioners.

Karomsi also decried arbitrary billing, noting that its monthly bill rose from N600,000 to N2.8 million within months despite low patronage and no tariff increase.

KEDL, through Engineers Oke and Aduku, admitted that Mohammed carried out unauthorized tapping but denied burning the meter or malicious disconnection.

The verdict underscores growing concerns over consumer protection and accountability in Kogi’s power sector, as businesses seek regulatory intervention to curb alleged exploitation.

Meanwhile, the petitioner, Karomsi Hotel Limited, Lokoja, said that as of the time of filing this report, KEDL is yet to comply with the judgment of the Forum. This, it added, has continued to subject the petitioner to severe hardship in the day-to-day running of its business.

The Hotel’s Managing Director/CEO, Prince Sunday Inah, therefore appealed to Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission to compel KEDL to strictly abide by all its resolutions.

Prince Inah also applauded the management of Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission, KERC, for upholding transparency and accountability, as well as for the prompt resolution of disputes between customers and service providers in Kogi State.

The Karomsi MD/CEO further added that the Kogi State Government deserves commendation for establishing the Commission, which has continued to address the plight of electricity consumers in the state

Hassan Abubakar-Editor..

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