The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission will on October 7, bring the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, Mr Temi Birdzell, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, along with the airline and some of its top officers, for alleged violations of the FCCPC Act, 2018.
The case, which was expected to begin on Tuesday, June 24, could not proceed as planned. When the court session started, none of the accused individuals were present. The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, was informed that the hearing notice and related court documents had not been properly served on all the defendants.
The FCCPC’s legal representative, Chizenum Nsitem, told the court that only the airline itself had been successfully served. He explained that the other four individuals — Account Manager Stella Ihediwa, Country Manager Kennedy Chirchir, Sales Manager Eva Ojeje, and CEO Temi Birdzell — had yet to receive official notice. Due to this issue, Nsitem requested more time to complete the service process.
Justice Omotosho agreed to the request and postponed the case to October 7, 2025, to allow all defendants to be present and enter their pleas.
The case was filed under charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/200/2025 and includes three major counts. According to court records, the FCCPC claims the accused failed to appear before the commission as required by a summons dated September 6, 2024. This is considered an offence under Section 33 (3) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018.
Another charge states that on September 18, 2024, the accused did not provide necessary documents, which the commission had demanded in an official request. This failure to comply is considered an offence under Section 111 of the same Act.
In addition, a third count accuses the airline and its officers of violating the rights of consumers, also on September 18, 2024. This is viewed as a breach under Section 124 (1), and is punishable under Section 155 of the FCCPC Act.
