LASCOPA Moves to Sanction Businesses Over Ignored Consumer Complaints
The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned businesses operating in the state that failure to honour scheduled mediation sessions arising from legitimate consumer complaints could attract regulatory sanctions, including the sealing of affected premises where permitted by law.
The agency’s General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Afolabi Solebo, issued the warning urging manufacturers, retailers and service providers to take consumer complaints and the redress process seriously.
Solebo said businesses were required to comply with the Lagos State Consumer Protection Law 2025, as amended, as well as the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, stressing that regulatory intervention would follow where businesses deliberately frustrate efforts to resolve legitimate consumer complaints.
“LASCOPA will now sanction businesses that deliberately fail to honour scheduled mediation sessions on legitimate consumer complaints. Where authorised by law, affected premises may be sealed. All businesses are required to treat consumer complaints and redress processes with utmost seriousness,” he said.
The agency identified unfair trade practices, misleading advertising, deceptive pricing, hidden charges and poor service delivery among practices that could trigger regulatory action.
Solebo also warned that the manufacture or sale of substandard, counterfeit or unsafe products would attract regulatory intervention, reinforcing the agency’s position that businesses must take greater responsibility for the quality, safety and integrity of what they offer consumers.
He explained that some delays in resolving consumer complaints were linked to businesses failing to respond to invitations for mediation, urging affected consumers to remain patient while the agency pursues redress.
The LASCOPA chief also advised consumers to strengthen their complaints by retaining receipts, invoices, warranties and other relevant transaction records, which can provide evidence when seeking redress.
Beyond enforcement, Solebo said consumer protection remained a shared responsibility between businesses and consumers, with both sides required to contribute to a marketplace built on transparency, accountability and fair dealing.
He reaffirmed the Lagos State Government’s commitment to ensuring that residents receive value for money and satisfaction from the products and services they purchase, urging consumers not to remain silent when their rights are violated.
According to him, LASCOPA exists to ensure that businesses operate fairly while providing consumers with an avenue to seek redress when they are treated unfairly.
The move signals a stronger enforcement posture by the agency as consumer complaints increasingly become an important test of how businesses manage customer relationships, service delivery and accountability in Lagos.
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