Nigeria's consumer protection regulator has taken enforcement action against a Lagos company, sealing its premises after what it described as a failure to cooperate. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission shut down the offices of P1 Max Property and Business Solutions Limited, moving to halt the company's operations. The step marked an escalation in a dispute that had been building for months.
The commission said it acted in direct exercise of its powers under Section 150, Subsection 4A of the FCCPA 2018. That provision allows the regulator to close any premises from which a compliance notice continues to be breached, keeping them shut until the breach or non-compliance is remedied. The commission framed the sealing as a legal step of last resort rather than a sudden move against the firm.
According to the commission, the action became necessary only after it had exhausted the available avenues to engage with the company's management. Officials said they had been trying to meet with the leadership of P1 since February 2025, without success. The sealing followed that extended period of attempted contact and what the regulator described as a failure to respond.
When the enforcement team arrived at the premises in Lagos, accompanied by journalists, it encountered an unusual scene. A notice on the gate informed visitors that the office was closed because members were away for a week of prayer and fasting. The team moved into the offices despite the notice, but found only a single security officer, who said the executives and other officials were unavailable.
With no representatives present, the team's attempt to gain fuller access to the office was unsuccessful, and the commission proceeded to seal the offices and their subsidiaries. Officials said the company had been duly served with a compliance notice and given a reasonable period to take the required remedial steps, but had failed to comply with the directive.
The human cost of the dispute surfaced as the operation unfolded. An individual who said he was a victim approached the commission, describing how he had lost contact with the company after handing over his money and no longer saw those he had dealt with. His account pointed to the kind of grievances that had drawn the regulator's attention to the firm in the first place.
Following the action, the government urged members of the public to exercise caution with their money. Officials warned people to carry out due diligence before engaging in any form of investment, a message aimed at preventing others from falling into similar situations. The sealing of P1 Max was presented as both a penalty for non-compliance and a warning to the wider market.