EFCC ARRESTS 2 SLTV STAFF OVER ILLEGAL BROADCAST OF DSTV SIGNALS, FREEZE COMPANY ACCOUNTS

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, arrested two staff members of Metrodigital Television Ltd, operators of SLTV, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over alleged illegal rebroadcasting of DStv and GOtv content. The operation followed a Preservation Order issued by the Federal High Court empowering the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies to take possession of equipment and documents linked to the alleged piracy. The

The raid, carried out at No. 12 Order Street, Rumuola, Stadium Link Road, GRA Phase IV, Port Harcourt, saw EFCC operatives seize broadcasting machines, decoders, transmission equipment, servers and several documents believed to contain records of signal manipulation. The Commission also took statements from staff members on duty during the enforcement action. The arrested men are Chinedu Nwaikwu, a director, and Uche Kanu, an engineer in the transmission room. They were caught with 22 decoders they were using for transmission at the time of arrest.

The court’s Preservation Order specifically directed the EFCC to secure and label all items connected with the unauthorised rebroadcast of DStv and GOtv channels, and to preserve them as exhibits for trial. A detailed seizure report with photographs and serial numbers of the confiscated materials is expected to be tendered before the court.

In a separate directive, the court issued an injunction restraining Metrodigital Television Ltd, its chief executive officer, Mr. Ifeanyi John Nwafor, and other associated companies including Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages, and QTV Plus Limited from further accessing or transmitting the program-carrying signals, channels, and contents of DStv and GOtv pending the determination of the case.

The injunction also mandated law enforcement agencies to serve the order on all the listed defendants, shut down any ongoing unauthorised signal feeds, and monitor compliance to prevent further infringement.

Additionally, the court granted a Post-No-Debit (PND) restriction on several bank accounts linked to the alleged piracy proceeds. The affected accounts include those of Ifeanyi John Nwafor, Metrodigital Television Ltd/SLTV, Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages, and QTV Plus Limited. The EFCC has been directed to notify commercial banks to enforce the restrictions, obtain account and BVN details, and preserve the funds as suspected proceeds of crime.

The case has been adjourned to October 22, 2025, for plea and continuation of trial. The court, however, declined to grant the EFCC’s request for an arrest warrant and INTERPOL watch-listing of the defendants, noting that they had not yet been formally arraigned.

The EFCC has since assured the court that all seized items have been properly secured and will be presented as evidence at the next hearing. The Commission reiterated its resolve to dismantle illegal content redistribution networks and protect the intellectual property rights of legitimate broadcasters.

The arrests and seizures were executed strictly under the authority of the Federal High Court’s preservation, injunction, and Post-No-Debit orders.