Two divisions of the Federal High Court have issued interim orders restraining telecommunications giants MTN and Airtel from suspending airtime and data credit services, offering relief to millions of Nigerian subscribers.
​The rulings, delivered separately in Abuja and Lagos, halt the enforcement of contentious digital lending regulations that had led to the abrupt withdrawal of “borrow credit” features. The court held that such disruptions constituted an unlawful interference with the contractual rights of licensed Value Added Service (VAS) providers.
​”The 1st and 2nd defendants are restrained from suspending, restricting, or otherwise interfering with the access to platforms including short codes, SMS, and USSD,” the Abuja court order stated. “This injunction remains pending the determination of the substantive suit challenging these regulatory actions.”
​The legal battle stems from a jurisdictional clash between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). The latter had introduced the “Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025,” which telcos cited as the reason for suspending services like “XtraTime.”
​Industry stakeholders, including the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), have called for an urgent resolution to the regulatory overlap. ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo warned that the uncertainty was “a test of whether the structures that underpin business confidence in this country are functioning.”
​”What is happening is not simply a dispute between regulators,” Adebayo said in a statement Tuesday. “Court orders have been issued, businesses hold valid licenses, and consumers are still being affected. We believe all parties have a responsibility to bring this to an orderly resolution.”
​Subscribers across the country welcomed the judicial intervention, noting that the “borrow me” service is a critical lifeline for low-income earners and emergency situations. “Many of us depend on borrowed airtime during emergencies,” said Chinedu Okeke, a Lagos-based subscriber. “The suspension affected communication badly.”
​The court noted that the suspension of these services without proper regulatory backing was “unfair to consumers” and emphasized that telecom providers must ensure subscribers are not subjected to abrupt service withdrawals.
​While the court orders direct an immediate restoration of the services, both MTN and Airtel are yet to provide a definitive timeline for when the “borrow credit” functions will be fully operational on all mobile devices nationwide.
