aLagos – A Federal High Court in Lagos has rejected a fresh attempt by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to lift an interim injunction restraining it from enforcing parts of its new digital lending rules against telecoms value-added service providers.
In a ruling on April 28, 2026, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa refused the FCCPC’s application to vacate the order, which had been granted on April 15 following an ex parte motion filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
The interim injunction bars the FCCPC, its officers, and agents from implementing disputed provisions of the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations (DEON Regulations) 2025 against WASPAN members.
At the resumed hearing, the FCCPC urged the court to either proceed immediately or discharge the subsisting order. WASPAN opposed, arguing that it had only just received the commission’s preliminary objection and required reasonable time to respond. The association also warned that vacating the injunction would grant the FCCPC unchecked powers to enforce rules still under judicial scrutiny.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa declined the commission’s request, ruling instead that the substantive suit and the FCCPC’s preliminary objection would be heard together. The court adjourned to May 15, 2026, and affirmed that the interim injunction remains fully in force.
The ruling preserves legal protection for providers of airtime lending, data advances, and related digital consumer services pending final determination.
WASPAN has argued that while consumer protection is vital, certain provisions of the FCCPC regulations exceed the commission’s statutory powers, conflict with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s sectoral mandate, and risk imposing unlawful compliance burdens on licensed telecom-based service providers.
