Privacy breaches: FG hits Multichoice with N766m fine

Privacy breaches: FG hits Multichoice with N766m fine

The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Data Protection Commission,NDPC, issued a N766,242,500 fine on Multichoice Nigeria for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act, alleging abuses of subscribers’ privacy rights and the illegal movement of citizens’ personal information across borders.

Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal, Enforcement, and Regulations at NDPC, said in a statement on Sunday that the sanction was the result of an inquiry begun in the second quarter of 2024 after complaints appeared about the company’s intrusive data processing practices.

“The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary and disproportionate. This is a grave affront to the fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the country’s data regulator said.

According to the NDPC, the investigation discovered various breaches, including the illegal handling of personal data belonging to both subscribers and non-Multichoice clients.

It also discovered that the corporation had been sending Nigerians’ data abroad without following proper procedures.

READ ALSO:

• FG offers ‘two month amnesty’ for visa overstay
• 78 dead, dozens missing in Texas floods as more rain looms
• Pet lion’s owners arrested after big cat attacks three people

The commission stated that it directed Multichoice to implement corrective steps as part of its usual enforcement procedures. However, the company’s answer was deemed “unsatisfactory”, prompting the decision to issue the penalty.

“For want of cooperation, the commission has directed Multichoice to pay N766,242,500 for violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act,” Bamigboye said.

He also stated that Dr Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the NDPC, has ordered a broader probe into all Multichoice data collection outlets across the country.

“Any outlet that processes personal data in violation of the NDP Act is liable to a penalty under the Act,” according to him.

The NDPC underlined that Nigeria retains the right to defend its data sovereignty under both domestic and international law, emphasising that such infractions have consequences for the rule of law, national security, and economic development.

This regulatory move adds to the rising attention that Multichoice Nigeria is receiving across sectors.

In February 2025, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission directed the pay-TV operator to halt planned pricing increases pending the outcome of an inquiry. However, Multichoice implemented a price hike on March 1, 2025, which the commission characterised as a wilful violation of its ruling.

The FCCPC then filed criminal charges against Multichoice Nigeria Limited and its CEO, John Ugbe, accusing them of hindering an ongoing investigation, disregarding regulatory orders, and violating parts of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018.

The charges include wilful obstruction, obstructing an inquiry, and furnishing inaccurate information to the commission.

Privacy breaches: FG hits Multichoice with N766m fine