DSTV Tarrif Hike: Tribunal Orders Lawyer To Paste Restraining Order At MultiChoice Office

The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal in Abuja, has ordered that its interim order, restraining MultiChoice Nigeria Limited from increasing the DSTV tariff, be pasted at the firm’s corporate headquarters, or any known address of the branches across the country.

The chairman of the tribunal, Saratu Shafii, who made the order April 29, 2024, said the document should be sent and pasted to MultiChoice’s known email address, social media handles, and any means of communication publicly known for MultiChoice.”

The interim order was granted in favour of an Abuja-based lawyer, Festus Onifade, who is aggrieved by MultiChoice recent announcement to increase the tariffs on its DStv and Gotv packages.

The company was restrained from effecting its planned price hike pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed before it.

However, the tribunal made moves to serve Multi-Choice, but the bailiff alleged that staff at the Abuja office of the company, refused to receive service of the order and other court documents.

The bailiff claimed that one of the company’s top managers at the Abuja office, refused to receive the documents, and instructed that the documents be sent to the Lagos office, being the headquarters.

Following the bailiff’s feedback, the tribunal issued an order of substituted service on MultiChoice under Section 48 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018; and Part N, Order 14 Rule 11(1) of the CCPT Rule, 2021.

In the certified true copy of the order of substituted service, the Shaffi-led panel 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 MultiChoice 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 should also be pasted in the CCPT communication outlet.