The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Metro Digital Limited before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on May 5, 2026, over an amended four-count charge bordering on cybercrime. The company pleaded not guilty through its representative.
Justice A.T. Mohammed took the matter at the Federal High Court in Rivers State and adjourned it to June 29 and 30, 2026 for continuation of trial. The prosecution says the case centres on alleged unlawful interception and rebroadcast of Multichoice content, with the charge alleging that Metro Digital Limited, Ifeanyi John Nwafor and Ikenna Kanu conspired between 2015 and 2019.
The commission said the alleged conduct involved the use of technical devices, including decoder systems, to retransmit content over which Multichoice holds exclusive rights in Sub-Saharan Africa. In a statement posted on the EFCC’s official page on May 5, 2026, the agency said its investigation began in 2019 after Multichoice reported alleged illegal rebroadcast of its content and that the practice caused significant financial losses.
The defence had filed a preliminary objection, but the court declined it and directed that the plea be taken. That left the company facing the charges in open court, with the prosecution now having the first clear path to test the allegations that have followed the case since 2019.
What happens next is straightforward: the case returns on June 29 and 30, 2026, when the court will continue the trial and the EFCC will have to show whether the alleged rebroadcast was a one-off dispute or a sustained operation built around protected content.
