The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday commenced committal proceedings against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over alleged disobedience of a subsisting court order restraining the enforcement of its Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025.
The judge, Ambrose-Lewis Allagoa, adjourned the matter until 22 May for continuation after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN) and the FCCPC.
The dispute centres on the legality of the FCCPC’s regulatory framework for digital lending services, including airtime advances and other telecom-based credit products.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the court issued in April an interim order restraining the commission from enforcing key provisions of the regulations, following an ex parte application filed by WASPAN to challenge the validity of the framework.
The court subsequently issued a Form 45 notice warning the FCCPC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, that failure to comply with the order could lead to contempt proceedings, which could possibly end in imprisonment.
