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Nigeria Antitrust Regulator Probes Uber’s Abrupt Exit

By  |  September 6, 2026
Nigeria Antitrust Regulator Probes Uber’s Abrupt Exit

Nigeria’s competition regulator is examining Uber Technologies Inc.’s sudden withdrawal from the country, focusing on whether customers were left with services that had been paid for or otherwise remained outstanding when the ride-hailing company ceased operations.

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    The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Uber’s departure, Bloomberg reported.

    Tunji Bello, chief executive officer of the FCCPC, told Bloomberg in a text message that the regulator was “looking into the manner of their exit, particularly in respect of unfulfilled services to the customers.”

    Uber stopped operating in Nigeria and Uganda on Wednesday as part of a broader reassessment of its global business, according to Bloomberg. That restructuring also involved 3,300 job cuts, equivalent to roughly 10% of the company’s workforce.

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    Related: Uber’s California Racketeering Case Against Lawyers, Doctors Moves Forward

    The shutdown came without advance notification to Uber users in Nigeria, leaving some passengers and drivers uncertain about the status of the service, Bloomberg reported. Uber did not provide a specific explanation for its decision to withdraw from Nigeria.

    The exit ends a presence of more than a decade in Africa’s most populous country. Uber began operating in Lagos in 2014, helping establish app-based ride-hailing in one of the continent’s largest urban markets.

    Competition has intensified since then. Rival services, including Estonia-based Bolt, have expanded in Nigeria and challenged Uber’s early market position, according to Bloomberg.

    The company’s withdrawal also comes against a difficult economic backdrop. Nigeria, home to more than 200 million people, has experienced years of elevated inflation that have weakened household purchasing power and contributed to worsening poverty, according to the Bloomberg report.

    The FCCPC inquiry adds a regulatory dimension to Uber’s departure, with authorities now scrutinizing not simply the company’s decision to leave but how the shutdown was handled and its consequences for Nigerian consumers.

    Source: Bloomberg