The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has withdrawn its criminal case against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and its top executives after both parties reportedly reached an amicable settlement.
News360 Info reports that at Tuesday’s hearing before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, FCCPC’s lawyer, Daniel Amadi, informed the court that the commission was no longer pursuing the case.
“The matter is for hearing, but we have filed a notice of withdrawal on August 16,” Amadi said.
“Parties have settled and we agree to withdraw this suit.”
Following the withdrawal, the defence counsel, Rolake Akingbola, did not raise any objection. Justice Omotosho subsequently struck out the criminal charge.
The arraignment of MultiChoice Nigeria and several of its senior officers had been scheduled for Tuesday, following allegations that the company breached the FCCPC Act, 2018.
The judge had fixed June 24 for the appearance of the defendants before the court on charges bordering on failure to comply with regulatory summons and obstruction of investigation.
Among those listed as defendants were Adewunmi Ogunsanya, Chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria; John Ugbe, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer; Fhulufhelo Badugela, CEO of MultiChoice Africa Holdings; Retiel Tromp, Chief Financial Officer (Africa); and Keabetswe Modimoeng, Group Executive for Corporate Affairs.
Others included Adebusola Bello, Fuad Ogunsanya, Gozie Onumonu, and the company itself.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/197/2025, contained seven counts against the pay-TV operator and its executives.
Details of the Charges
News360 Info reports that in one of the counts, MultiChoice was accused of failing to appear before the FCCPC on March 6, 2025, after being lawfully summoned on February 25, an alleged offence contrary to Section 33(3) of the FCCP Act, 2018.
Another count accused the company’s directors of impeding the FCCPC’s investigation by allegedly refusing to produce requested documents, in violation of Section 110 of the same Act.
The case stemmed from the commission’s probe into MultiChoice’s subscription price hikes earlier in the year.
The FCCPC had invited the company to explain the rationale behind the March 1 increase in DStv and GOtv tariffs amid public complaints.
The regulator accused the pay-TV giant of potential market dominance abuse and anti-competitive practices, warning that failure to justify the price hike could attract regulatory sanctions.
MultiChoice, however, filed a separate suit seeking to restrain the FCCPC from taking administrative action, arguing that the commission’s move amounted to an overreach.
Justice Omotosho had on May 8 dismissed the company’s suit, ruling that it constituted an abuse of court process, as a similar case on the same issue had already been filed by lawyer Festus Onifade, with both MultiChoice and the FCCPC as parties.
Following several months of back-and-forth legal exchanges, both sides reportedly opted for negotiation. Tuesday’s court proceedings marked the formal closure of the criminal case after the FCCPC confirmed that all issues had been settled out of court.
Justice Omotosho subsequently struck out the case, signalling an end to the regulatory dispute between the federal agency and the pay-TV provider.
