Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a criminal suit filed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and several of its top executives, following an amicable resolution between both parties.
When the case was called up for hearing on Tuesday, FCCPC’s counsel, Daniel Amadi, informed Justice James Omotosho that the commission had decided to discontinue the case.
“We have filed a notice of withdrawal dated August 16,” Amadi stated. “Parties have settled and we agree to withdraw this suit,” he added.
Rolake Akingbola, representing the defence, did not oppose the application, prompting Justice Omotosho to formally strike out the case.
The case, originally scheduled for arraignment on October 1, stemmed from allegations that MultiChoice and its executives violated provisions of the FCCPC Act, 2018.
The defendants included Adewunmi Ogunsanya (Chairman), John Ugbe (Managing Director/CEO), and senior officials from both MultiChoice Nigeria and MultiChoice Africa Holdings.
Others named in the withdrawn charge included Fhulufhelo Badugela, Retiel Tromp, Keabetswe Modimoeng, Adebusola Bello, Fuad Ogunsanya, and Gozie Onumonu, Head of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations. The company itself was also listed as a defendant in the case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/197/2025.
The seven-count charge accused the company and its directors of failing to comply with a lawful summons, and for allegedly obstructing an FCCPC investigation.
One of the counts claimed that on March 6, MultiChoice Nigeria “without sufficient reason failed to appear before the FCCPC in compliance with a lawful summons,” in violation of Section 33(3) of the FCCPC Act.
Another count alleged that certain executives “caused the company to impede the investigation by refusing to produce requested documents,” which the FCCPC said violated Section 110 of the same Act.
The commission had earlier summoned MultiChoice in response to the company’s March 1 decision to increase prices for its DStv and GOtv subscription packages.
Regulators raised concerns about what they described as frequent price hikes, possible abuse of market dominance, and potential anti-competitive conduct in the pay-TV sector.
Justice Omotosho had previously ruled against MultiChoice on May 8, dismissing a suit filed by the company that sought to block the FCCPC from taking enforcement action.
The judge described the company’s suit as an “abuse of court process,” citing the existence of a similar case filed earlier by consumer rights advocate Festus Onifade.
While the legal clash appears to have come to an end, the FCCPC had earlier warned that any failure to adequately explain or justify pricing practices could attract regulatory sanctions.
With the charges now dropped, attention may shift to whether the settlement will result in more transparency and compliance from MultiChoice in its pricing strategies going forward.
