The federal High Court, Abuja, has set October 7 for the arraignment of the Chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, Adewunmi Ogunsanya, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company, John Ugbe, over allegations bordering on breach of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018.

Justice James Omotosho fixed the date yesterday after Chizenum Nsitem, counsel for the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), made the application due to the absence of the defendants in court.

Others to be arraigned alongside the duo are six top officers of the Pay-TV company, including Fhulufhelo Badugela, CEO of MultiChoice Africa Holdings; Retiel Tromp, Chief Financial Officer, Africa; and Keabetswe Modimoeng, Group Executive for Corporate Affairs.

They also include a director, Adebusola Bello; Fuad Ogunsanya; Gozie Onumonu, who is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, and the company itself.

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

The prosecuting agency’s lawyer then sought an adjournment to enable them to do the needful, and the judge adjourned the matter until Oct. 7 for the defendants to take their plea.

In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/197/2025, dated May 26 but filed May 26, the defendants are being preferred with seven counts.

In count one, Multichoice Nigeria Limited was alleged to have on March 6 at No 23, Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro, Abuja, without sufficient reason failed to appear before the FCCPC in compliance with a lawful summons issued on Feb. 25, “and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33 (3) of the FCCP Act, 2018.”