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No Ban On Airtime Borrowing Or Data Advance Services — FCCPC
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Amid growing confusion fueled by viral social media posts and reports, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has clarified that it has not banned airtime borrowing or data advance services in Nigeria.
It described the reports as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Friday on its official X handle, the Commission clarified that it has not issued any directive prohibiting consumers from accessing lawful telecom value-added services.
It stressed that airtime borrowing and data advance services remain available, and any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate.
The FCCPC explained that the confusion arose following regulatory measures introduced in July 2025 under the DEON Consumer Lending Regulations.
”The Commission has not prohibited airtime borrowing or data advance services, and no directive was issued preventing consumers from accessing lawful telecom value-added services,” the statement read in parts.
According to the Commission, the framework was established after a surge in consumer complaints relating to opaque charges, unexplained deductions, aggressive recovery practices, poor disclosure standards, and weak accountability in parts of the digital lending and advance-services market.
Rather than banning services, the regulations were designed to promote fairness and transparency by requiring operators to register properly, disclose fees and terms clearly, adopt responsible lending practices, and provide accessible channels for consumer complaints.
It noted that these measures are intended to strengthen consumer protection, improve service quality, and boost confidence in the market.
It further revealed that some telecom operators had engaged in exclusionary third-party arrangements in violation of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, limiting competition within the sector.
The new regulations, it said, are aimed at opening up the market to both local and international participants in line with free market principles.
”The primary aim is to promote a fairer and more transparent system by mandating proper registration, responsible lending conduct, clear disclosure of fees and terms, accessible consumer complaint channels, data protection safeguards, stronger accountability for third-party partners, and effective regulatory oversight.”
The FCCPC stated that operators were initially given a 90-day compliance period to align with the new framework, which was later extended to January 5, 2026.
Despite this extension, some operators failed to regularise their services within the stipulated timeframe and continued operating models that had long generated consumer complaints.
According to the Commission, any temporary suspension or restriction of airtime borrowing or data advance services should be understood as a business or compliance decision by the operators involved, not a ban imposed by the regulator.
It added that attributing such disruptions to regulatory action is misleading, especially when operators had sufficient time to comply.
The Commission also warned against what it described as deliberate attempts by vested interests to spread disinformation and undermine efforts to create a fair and transparent market
It urged Nigerians to disregard false narratives and rely on accurate information regarding the status of telecom services.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Suspected bandits have kidnapped retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife on Matazu Road in Katsina State.
Security sources told PRNigeria that the couple was ambushed on Saturday morning, May 30, 2026, while travelling in a red Peugeot 504 saloon car.
The gunmen intercepted the vehicle and whisked the retired officer and his wife to an unknown location.
The driver escaped with gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, a security source said.
The former DDI and his wife were waylaid by armed men on the route. The driver escaped with gunshot injuries and is receiving medical attention,” the source stated.
Security forces have launched search-and-rescue operations and deployed intelligence assets to track the abductors, according to the source. Official confirmation from the military was still pending at press time.
—Rising concern in Katsina—
The abduction comes amid persistent insecurity in parts of Katsina despite ongoing military operations against bandit groups in the North-West.
In recent years, several serving and retired security personnel have been targeted on highways linking Katsina to neighbouring states. PRNigeria reports that criminal groups now see high-profile individuals, including retired military officers, as lucrative targets.
Maj-Gen Abubakar served as Director of Defence Information and was one of the Nigerian military’s most visible spokespersons during the counterinsurgency campaign against Boko Haram.
The incident is expected to renew calls for stronger security along major highways and rural communities in Katsina, where residents continue to face kidnapping and banditry.
Credit :PRNigeria
Abia State Police Command has nabbed two suspects for conspiracy, attempted child theft and possession of hard drugs.
The Command which made this known on Saturday, named the suspects as Nzubechi Chinagorom and Chinonso Chibundu, indigenes of Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of the Abia State.
In a statement signed by DSP Maureen Chinaka, the Police Public Relations Officer, the Command said its officers apprehended the suspects through actionable intelligence, in collaboration with Olokoro vigilante personnel.
She stated that the suspects went to the residence of one Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo and attempted to forcibly take away her two-week-old baby girl.
DSP Chinaka said that the Nzubechi Chinagorom allegedly stabbed the nursing mother with a kitchen knife during a struggle, causing the baby to fall and hit her head on ground.
The police spokesperson said that the two suspects fled from the scene and ran into a nearby bush on realizing that the nursing mother, Miss Amarachi Chinyereugo cried out for help.
She added that the suspects were later apprehended at a bus stop
where they had reportedly gone to take hard drugs.
“The mother and child were immediately rushed to the hospital, where they received treatment and have since recovered.
“The suspects were apprehended, exhibits were recovered and investigation has been conducted at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Suspects will be charged to court on 2/06/2026,” Chinaka said.
Ex-Minister of Labour and Productivity, SellJoel Ikenya, has been declared winner of the governorship primaries conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Taraba State.
Mr Felix Hyat, the chairman of the election committee, who announced the results in Jalingo on Saturday, said Ikenya scored 34,173, to defeat Mr Dinshiya Usman, who polled 4,853.
Hyat, who described the exercise as free, fair and transparent, commended the state working committee of the party for the peaceful conduct.
Ikenya, in his acceptance speech, pledged to revive Taraba to her days of glory if elected governor in 2027.
“I will transform Taraba; I will change the state from salary base, to an industrialised state.
“My desire is to also revive the state infrastructure and attract more investors to boost the economy,” he said.
The governorship candidate, however, denied the allegations of factional PDP in Taraba.
“There is no factional PDP in Taraba; I don’t know where the other people are coming from.
“PDP in Taraba is one, and we do not have any faction in the state. We are working as one united family to reclaim our mandate from Gov. Agbu Kefas of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, the Nyesom Wike led faction of the party had recently declared senator Emmanuel Bwacha as its governorship candidate in Taraba.
NAN
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