A Nigerian podcaster has filed a N50 billion lawsuit against three major telecommunications companies and pay-TV operator MultiChoice Nigeria, challenging industry practices that allow unused data bundles and paid subscription periods to expire regardless of whether consumers were able to fully use the services.
KaaTruths Podcast Limited and its principal, podcaster Ophoke Armstrong Amobi, known as KAA, have dragged MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Globacom Limited, Airtel Networks Limited and MultiChoice Nigeria Limited before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CV/886/2026, was filed on Friday, with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) also joined as a defendant.
The plaintiffs are challenging the companies’ practices concerning the expiry of unused data bundles and subscription periods, particularly in cases where consumers are unable to fully use the services they paid for due to disruptions or other circumstances beyond their control. They are asking the court to determine whether contractual terms that allow unused data to expire solely because a stipulated period has elapsed are unfair, unreasonable and contrary to Nigerian consumer protection law.
The plaintiffs are seeking N50 billion in general and special damages over the alleged violations of their consumer rights, along with court orders barring the defendants from continuing any practices found to be unfair and unlawful. The defendants have been given 30 days after service of the writ to enter appearance, failing which the plaintiffs may proceed to seek judgment.
The lawsuit follows weeks of public agitation by KAA and his legal team over the subscription practices of telecom operators and DStv. Abuja-based lawyer Ogba Ogbaga of GIMBG Legals had earlier announced, in a statement, that he had received instructions from his client, KAA, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court, alleging that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers because subscribers sometimes do not receive the full value of what they paid for, yet still lose their subscriptions once the validity period lapses.
Ogbaga also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather and service interruptions, while their subscriptions continue counting down regardless. “Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said at the time, adding that the planned legal action would extend to other telecom providers and DStv as well.
According to Ogbaga, the proposed suit would seek a judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws. He said the move followed the failure of previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly to resolve consumer concerns on the issue, and he invited other legal practitioners to collaborate on the case.
The plaintiffs said the legal action was intended to test existing commercial practices against consumer protection laws rather than rely solely on public complaints to drive change. “If we believe a practice is unfair, we should be prepared to challenge it through the institutions empowered to determine what is lawful,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.
The case adds to a string of legal and regulatory scrutiny facing MultiChoice Nigeria in particular over its subscription practices. In October 2025, a Lagos High Court ordered MultiChoice Nigeria to pay ₦5 million in damages to a subscriber, Ben Onuora, over the wrongful and wilful disconnection of his active DStv subscription. The FCCPC has also previously taken regulatory action against MultiChoice over allegations of violating consumer protection rules.
As of the time of this report, none of the defendant companies had issued a public response to the new suit.
