The three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, granted the applicant’s motion following allegations that officers of the pay-TV firm in the Abuja office refused to receive service of the order and other court documents.
An application for substituted service of the interim order, restraining Multi-Choice Nigeria Limited from its plan to increase tariffs on DStv and GOtv packages beginning From May 1 has been granted by a Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) sitting in Abuja.
The three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, granted the applicant’s motion following allegations that officers of the pay-TV firm in the Abuja office refused to receive service of the order and other court documents.
The applicant, Festus Onifade, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the CCPT bailiff alleged that one of the company’s top managers at the Abuja office said the documents be channelled through their Lagos office, which was the headquarters.
The tribunal, therefore, gave the order of substituted service under Section 48 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), 2018; and Part N, Order 14 Rule 11(1) of the CCPT Rule, 2021.
According to the report, in the certified true copy of the order of substituted service, Shaffi directed that the ex-parte order in suit number: CCPT/OP/2/2024, be pasted at the corporate headquarters or any known address of the branches of Multi-Choice Nigeria Limited across Nigeria.
She also ordered that the documents be sent to the company’s “known email address, social media handles and any means of communication publicly known for Multi-Choice and shall also be pasted in the CCPT communication outlet.
The documents had since been pasted at the Multi-Choice Abuja office located at Wuse II.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) sitting in Abuja, had restrained Multi-choice Nigeria Limited from increasing its tariffs and cost of products and services scheduled to begin on May 1.
The three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, had given the interim order on Monday following an ex-parte motion moved by Ejiro Awaritoma, counsel for the applicant, Festus Onifade.
In a ruling, the tribunal restrained multi-choice from going ahead with the impending price increase schedule to take effect from May 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed before it.
She also directed all parties in the suit to appear before the tribunal on May 7 at 10 a.m. for the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The petitioner had dragged Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) before the tribunal.
In the suit filed on April 29, Onifade, also a legal practitioner, sought two orders.
These include, “an order of interim injunction of this honourable tribunal restraining the 1st defendant whether by themselves, her privies, assigns by whatsoever name called from going ahead with impending price increase schedule to take effect from 1st May 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“An order restraining the 1st defendant from taking any step(s) that may negatively affect the rights of the claimant and other consumers in respect of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The company had, on April 1, 2022, hiked the prices of all its packages.