Nigeria’s consumer protection commission to arraign Qatar Airways, CEO, top officers in Abuja

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will, on 7 October, arraign the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Qatar Airways, Temi Birdzell, alongside the company and its top officers, over allegations bordering on breach of FCCPC Act 2018.

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The defendants will be arraigned before trial judge James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Others to be arraigned with Birdzell are Stella Ihediwa, the Account Manager of the airline; Kennedy Chirchir, the Country Manager and Eva Ojeje, who is the Sales Manager of the company.

Although the arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday, the matter could not proceed.

When the matter was called up, none of the defendants were in court due to improper service of the court documents, including the hearing notice, on them.

FCCPC’s lawyer, Chizenum Nsitem, told the court of their inability to serve four of the defendants, although the company was served.

Mr Nsitem then sought an adjournment to enable them to “do the needful” and the judge adjourned the matter until 7 October for the defendants to take their plea.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commission charged Qatar Airways and other defendants in the case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/200/2025.

FCCPC preferred two counts against the defendants in the case filed on 27 May and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/200/2025.

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The defendants were alleged to have failed to appear before FCCPC in compliance with a lawful summons of the commission dated 6 September 2024 and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33 (3) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCPC) Act 2018.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants, on 18 September 2024, intentionally withheld the production of documents in compliance with a lawful summons of the commission, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 111 of FCCP Act 2018.

In count three, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on the same day, contravened consumer rights, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 124(1) and punishable under Section 155 of the same Act.

(NAN)