A Lagos State High Court has ordered Multichoice Nigeria Limited to pay N5 million in general damages to a subscriber for the wrongful and deliberate disconnection of his cable TV service.
In a judgment delivered on September 30, 2025, Justice Razak Olukolu ruled that the company acted unlawfully by interrupting the claimant’s active television subscription without justification, despite evidence of payment.
The case, marked LD/ADR/2297/2019, was filed by Ben Onuora, the Obi of Okwudor in Imo State, who sought N20 million in damages. He claimed that his family experienced significant inconvenience and emotional distress due to the repeated disconnections of his DStv service.
Citing 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.
While awarding N5 million in damages against Multichoice Nigeria, the court denied the claimant’s request for the cost of the suit. The judge also directed the company to “immediately reconnect and restore the claimant’s cable television subscription and to extend the subscription to cover the entire period of the wrongful disconnection.”
In addition, “interest on the judgment sum of N5 million was granted at the rate of 10 percent per annum until full payment is made.”
FCCPC COMMENDS COURT FOR RULING IN FAVOUR OF CONSUMER
Reacting to the judgment on Monday, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), praised the court for upholding consumer rights in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s director of corporate affairs, the commission also highlighted a separate judgment from an Enugu State High Court that declared the “no refund” policy of Peace Mass Transit unlawful.
In the case marked E/514/2021, filed in 2021, Patrick Chukwuma said he had purchased a ticket from the company’s Obollor-Afor branch to travel to Enugu on February 10, 2021. However, after hours of delay due to a lack of passengers, he sought a refund of his N500 fare. His request was denied based on the company’s “no refund after payment” policy.
Justice C.O. Ajah, in a ruling delivered in April 2022, declared the policy “illegal, null, and void” under sections 120, 104, and 129 (1)(a) and (b)(iii) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018. The court further ordered the company to pay N500,000 in damages to the plaintiff.
FCCPC said 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 service standards.
The statement added that the commission has helped recover more than N10 billion for consumers across 30 sectors between March and August 2025, reflecting “the growing effectiveness of Nigeria’s consumer protection system.”
According to Bello, consistent judicial enforcement supports the commission’s “regulatory work and reinforces the message that consumer-rights violations attract real consequences.”
He encouraged consumers to continue reporting unfair business practices through the FCCPC complaint portal, email, or its offices nationwide.