In a judgment delivered on September 30, 2025, presiding judge Razak Olukolu ruled that the defendant acted wrongfully by disrupting the claimant’s active television subscription without justification, despite proof of payment. The suit, marked LD/ADR/2297/2019, was filed by Ben Onuora, the Obi of Okwudor in Imo State, in 2019, seeking N20 million in general damages. He claimed that he and his family suffered severe inconvenience and emotional distress due to the defendant’s repeated disruption of his DStv connection.
Relying on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission – Abuse of Dominance Regulations of 2022, and Section 13 of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency Law, 2015, the court ruled in favour of the claimant. The judge awarded a N5 million fine against Multichoice Nigeria but declined the claimant’s request for the defendant to cover the cost of the suit. The court also ordered the defendant to immediately reconnect and restore the claimant’s cable television subscription and extend it to cover the entire period of wrongful disconnection.Additionally, interest on the judgment sum of N5 million was granted at a rate of 10 percent per annum until full payment is made.
Reacting to the verdict in a statement on Monday, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), commended the court for upholding consumer rights in Nigeria. The statement, signed by Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s director of corporate affairs, also cited a similar ruling by a high court in Enugu State, which declared the “no refund” policy of Peace Mass Transit unlawful.In that case, marked E/514/2021, the plaintiff, Patrick Chukwuma, stated that he bought a ticket from the Obollor-Afor branch of the company to travel to Enugu on February 10, 2021. After hours of delay caused by the absence of passengers, he requested a refund of the N500 fare, which the company refused, citing its “no refund after payment” policy.
In a judgment delivered in April 2022, Justice C.O. Ajah declared the policy illegal, null, and void under sections 120, 104, 129 (1)(a) and (b)(iii) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, and ordered the company to pay N500,000 in damages to the plaintiff. According to the FCCPC, both judgments highlight the strength of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), 2018, which empowers consumers to seek redress and mandates service providers to uphold fair standards of service delivery.
The commission also disclosed that it facilitated recoveries of more than N10 billion for consumers across 30 sectors between March and August 2025, describing it as evidence of the growing effectiveness of Nigeria’s consumer protection system. Bello emphasized that consistent judicial enforcement complements the commission’s regulatory efforts and reinforces the message that violations of consumer rights attract real consequences. He urged consumers to continue reporting unfair practices through the FCCPC complaint portal, email, or any of its offices nationwide.
Source : https://21stcenturychronicle.com/
