The Nigerian government has imposed a ₦766.2 million fine on Multichoice Nigeria, operators of DStv and GOtv, for breaching the country’s data protection laws.
The penalty, announced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) on Sunday, follows investigations revealing unauthorized processing of personal data and unlawful cross-border data transfers.
According to Babatunde Bamigboye, Head of Legal at NDPC, Multichoice’s data practices were found to be “intrusive, unfair, and disproportionate,” violating constitutional privacy rights.
The probe uncovered that the company processed information of both subscribers and non-customers without proper authorization.
This sanction compounds Multichoice’s regulatory troubles in Nigeria. In February, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had ordered the pay-TV giant to halt planned price increases, but the company proceeded with hikes in March.
The FCCPC subsequently filed criminal charges against Multichoice and its CEO John Ugbe for obstruction of investigation and violation of consumer protection laws.
NDPC criticized Multichoice’s “unsatisfactory” response to corrective directives, prompting the hefty fine. The commission has now expanded its investigation to all Multichoice data collection points nationwide, warning that any outlet found violating data laws will face penalties.
The action underscores Nigeria’s push to enforce data sovereignty, with NDPC emphasizing that such violations threaten national security, economic development, and the rule of law.
Multichoice joins a growing list of multinational companies facing intensified regulatory scrutiny in Africa’s largest economy.
