ABUJA, Nigeria: Nigeria’s Federal High Court in Abuja and the court in Lagos issued separate orders on April 24, 2026, and April 15, 2026, barring telecommunications companies and consumer protection regulators from suspending airtime credit services or enforcing new digital lending regulations.
Okay News reports that the Abuja court restrained MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Networks Limited from restricting services provided to Nairtime Nigeria Limited pending the determination of a lawsuit. The plaintiffs, including Nairtime Holdings Limited, filed an ex parte application to prevent the disruption of their operations following the introduction of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
The court in Abuja said, “Interim Injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd Defendants/Respondents, whether by themselves, their officers, servants, agents, or privies, from suspending, restricting, discontinuing, or otherwise interfering with the access of the 2nd Plaintiff to their platforms, channels, short codes, SMS, USSD, billing services and other telecommunications-enabled services and operations during the subsistence of the 2nd Plaintiff’s valid licence issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission under and by virtue of the Nigerian Communications Act on the basis of the DEON Regulations issued by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Telecom operators suspended airtime and data credit services in mid-April 2026 to comply with the new regulatory framework introduced in July 2025. The suspension affected prepaid subscribers utilizing these services. Industry estimates indicate the annual value of airtime lending transactions ranges between N500 billion ($384 million) and N1.2 trillion ($923 million).
In a related ruling, the court in Lagos granted interim orders to the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The judge barred the commission from implementing specific paragraphs of the lending regulations and imposing sanctions on service providers.
The judge in Lagos said, “An Order of Interim Injunction is granted pending the hearing and final determination of the Motion for Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Defendant, whether by itself, officers, employees, agents, or such other persons howsoever named, from enforcing, implementing and/or otherwise giving effect to the enforcement and/or implementation of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 (‘The DEON Consumer Lending Regulations’) or otherwise giving effect to the enforcement and/or implementation of paragraphs 3, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 24, 27, 29 and 32 of the said regulations.”
The plaintiffs said that their services operate over infrastructure licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003. Both matters have been adjourned for an interlocutory hearing.
