FCCPC Shuts Down TLS Visa Centre Over Consumer Complaints, Assault On Officials
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed the TLS Visa Application Centre in Abuja following allegations of consumer rights violations and obstruction of justice.
FCCPC Director of Surveillance and Investigations, Boladale Adeyinka, who led the operation, said the action was triggered by complaints from Nigerians who paid for visa services that were never delivered. The situation worsened when TLS officials allegedly assaulted FCCPC staff and police officers sent to serve formal summons.
“Instead of addressing the complaint, their officers assaulted FCCPC operatives carrying out their lawful duty of enforcing consumer rights,” Adeyinka said.
She explained that TLS refused to honour multiple requests to cooperate with the investigation, breaching several sections of the FCCPC Act. “In line with Section 18(1)(f), the Executive Vice Chairman, Babatunde Irukera, directed the sealing of the premises,” she added.
The Commission has now summoned senior TLS officials, including the country and centre managers, to appear by 2 p.m. on Friday, June 20, 2025. Failure to comply, Adeyinka warned, could attract up to three years imprisonment, a ₦20 million fine, or both.
“Section 33(4) also states that anyone who willfully obstructs Commission proceedings is liable to the same penalties. TLS’s actions clearly fall under these violations,” she said.
The FCCPC urged affected consumers to submit evidence of service failure and warned other service providers that it will not hesitate to act decisively to protect Nigerian consumers.
