Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have dragged the House of Representatives, its Speaker and the Inspector-General of Police before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain the lawmakers from enforcing summonses against their chief executives and issuing arrest threats.
The suit, filed on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, challenges the constitutional scope of the House Committee on Communications’ oversight powers and its authority to investigate the operations of telecommunications companies.
The dispute followed a committee hearing in Abuja on Wednesday over network service quality, during which the lawmakers reportedly rejected the representation of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the industry’s recognised umbrella body.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Sunday Uneha, reportedly described ALTON’s appearance as an “insult on the integrity of the Committee” and refused to grant its representatives an audience.
The confrontation escalated when ALTON officials reminded the lawmakers that the scope of the National Assembly’s oversight powers was already being challenged in court.
Uneha reportedly dismissed the argument, saying it was “not the Committee’s business who goes to court”.
He further told the delegation to “follow your case and not disrupt the work of the Committee”, adding, “We don’t know you!”
The hearing took another turn when the committee chairman allegedly directed security personnel to detain the industry representatives.
An Airtel representative challenged the directive, asking, “Are you detaining us? What is our offence?”
In the originating summons, the operators are challenging the October 29 summonses compelling their chief executives to appear before the committee. They are seeking perpetual injunctions restraining the House and the committee from enforcing the summonses or taking further action against them.
The companies argue that Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution limits the National Assembly’s investigative powers to matters connected with lawmaking and the examination of public funds, and does not confer unrestricted authority to investigate the private commercial operations of regulated companies.
They also contend that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is the statutory regulator responsible for overseeing telecommunications service quality, arguing that the committee’s actions amount to an intrusion into the commission’s regulatory responsibilities.
The association maintains that summoning individual chief executives while failing to address structural challenges, including inadequate electricity supply and infrastructure vandalism, will not resolve the persistent service-quality problems confronting subscribers.
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