EFCC arrests two Metrodigital staff for alleged illegal rebroadcast of DStv, GOtv Channels

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two employees of Metrodigital Television Limited, operators of SLTV, for allegedly engaging in the unlawful rebroadcast of DStv and GOtv content.

The arrests, carried out on Thursday at the company’s premises on No. 12 Order Street, Rumuola, GRA Phase IV, Port Harcourt, followed a Preservation Order issued by the Federal High Court empowering the EFCC and other law enforcement agencies to seize equipment and documents linked to the alleged piracy.

During the raid, EFCC operatives confiscated broadcasting machines, decoders, transmission equipment, servers, and documents believed to contain evidence of signal manipulation.

The arrested staff members, identified as Chinedu Nwaikwu, a director, and Uche Kanu, an engineer in the transmission unit, were allegedly caught with 22 decoders actively transmitting at the time of their arrest.

The court’s Preservation Order authorised the EFCC to secure and label all items associated with the unauthorised rebroadcast of DStv and GOtv channels, with the materials to be preserved as exhibits for trial.

A detailed seizure report, including photographs and serial numbers of the confiscated devices, is expected to be presented in court.

In a separate ruling, the court issued an injunction restraining Metrodigital Television Ltd, its Chief Executive Officer, Ifeanyi John Nwafor, and associated companies, Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages, and QTV Plus Limited, from further accessing or transmitting the programme signals and channels belonging to DStv and GOtv pending the determination of the case.

The injunction also directed law enforcement agencies to enforce the order, shut down unauthorised signal feeds, and monitor compliance to prevent further breaches.

Additionally, a Post-No-Debit (PND) order was granted on several bank accounts linked to the alleged piracy proceeds. The affected accounts include those belonging to Metrodigital Television Ltd/SLTV, Ifeanyi John Nwafor, Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages, and QTV Plus Limited. Banks have been instructed to freeze the accounts, furnish the EFCC with full 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, refused the EFCC’s request for an arrest warrant or INTERPOL watch-list notice, citing the fact that the defendants have yet to be formally arraigned.

The EFCC confirmed that all seized materials have been properly secured and will be tendered as evidence at the next hearing.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling illegal broadcast networks and safeguarding the intellectual property rights of licensed content owners.