Two Federal High Court divisions have issued interim injunctions that have effectively paused the enforcement of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional (DEON) Consumer Lending Regulations and restored airtime lending services across Nigeria.
The regulations, introduced in 2025, had sparked widespread disputes in the telecommunications and digital lending space, leading to legal challenges from industry operators.
In Lagos, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa, on April 15, 2026, granted four interim orders in suit FHC/L/CS/760/2026 filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPA) against the FCCPC. The court restrained the commission and its agents from implementing or enforcing any aspect of the DEON framework, including its key provisions.
The judge also barred the FCCPC from taking any enforcement steps against WASPA members, such as sanctions, penalties, fines, or directives linked to the disputed regulations. The case was adjourned to April 27, 2026, for further hearing.
In a separate ruling in Abuja, the Federal High Court on April 24, 2026, granted an interim order in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/779/2026 following an ex parte application by Nairtime Holdings Limited and Nairtime Nigeria Limited against MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Networks Limited.
The court stopped the telecom operators and their representatives from suspending, restricting, or interfering with Nairtime Nigeria Limited’s access to essential platforms, including short codes, SMS, USSD, and billing systems.
The order remains valid for the duration of Nairtime’s licence issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and also prevents the operators from relying on the FCCPC regulations as justification for any disruption.
The applicants maintained that the planned suspension of services was based on a directive tied to the DEON Regulations, despite their compliance with existing agreements and without any formal finding of breach or required notice.
