The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has suffered a legal setback after two Federal High Court rulings temporarily suspended enforcement of its controversial digital lending regulations, restoring airtime lending and related telecom services across Nigeria.

The interim injunctions, issued in Lagos and Abuja, restrain the commission from enforcing the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional (DEON) Consumer Lending Regulations introduced in 2025.

The regulations had extended FCCPC oversight to airtime and data credit services, triggering strong opposition from telecom operators and industry associations.

In Lagos, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa granted interim orders in a suit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPA), barring the FCCPC and its agents from implementing key provisions of the framework or penalising service providers.

The court also restrained interference with the operations of value-added service providers and adjourned the matter for further hearing.

In a separate ruling in Abuja, the court granted interim relief to Nairtime Holdings Limited and Nairtime Nigeria Limited, preventing MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria from suspending or restricting access to their platforms, including short codes and SMS services.

The court held that the applicants had shown sufficient grounds for protection pending determination of the substantive suit, especially as the planned disruptions were linked to the disputed FCCPC regulations.

Taken together, the rulings effectively pause enforcement of the DEON framework, allowing airtime lending services to continue while the legal battle is resolved.

The FCCPC had introduced the regulations to bring digital lending platforms under tighter consumer protection rules, but telecom operators argued that the policy overlapped with the mandate of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and conflicted with existing regulatory agreements.