The Federal High Court have issued interim injunctions restoring airtime lending services and blocking the enforcement of contested regulations introduced by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The FCCPC had rolled out the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations in 2025, triggering the legal challenge.

The rulings, delivered in Lagos and Abuja, reinstate services used by millions of Nigerians and provide temporary relief to licensed Value Added Service providers affected by the dispute.

Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, on April 15, 2026, granted four interim injunctions in suit number FHC/L/CS/760/2026, filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria against the FCCPC.

The court restrained the commission, its officials, and agents from enforcing the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, including key provisions within the framework.

It further prohibited the FCCPC from interfering with the operations of WASPA members, imposing sanctions or fines for alleged non-compliance, or issuing directives related to the enforcement of the regulations.

The FCCPC has been restrained from taking enforcement action against Value Added Service providers, while telecom operators have also been barred from using the regulations as a basis to deny licensed operators access to their networks.

The Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Regulations, introduced by the FCCPC in July 2025, were designed to expand regulatory oversight to cover unsecured digital lending services, including airtime and data credit offerings.