The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, has warned manufacturers, retailers and service providers across the state that their premises could be sealed for deliberately failing to attend scheduled mediation sessions over legitimate consumer complaints.
The agency said in a statement that it would also impose other penalties on businesses that violate consumer protection laws, urging operators to take complaints and the dispute resolution process seriously.
The General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, gave the warning while speaking with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, upon his return from the 2026 International Bar Association Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Solebo said the agency would enforce the Lagos State Consumer Protection Law 2025, as amended, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 to protect consumers and ensure that businesses operate within the law.
“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.
“Practices that will attract regulatory intervention include unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements, deceptive pricing, hidden charges, poor service delivery, and the manufacture or sale of substandard, counterfeit or unsafe products,” Solebo said.
The LASCOPA chief executive warned that businesses found guilty of violating the laws could face applicable penalties, including fines, enforcement orders, suspension of operations, prosecution or the sealing of their premises.
He stressed that the warning covered a range of activities that could harm consumers, including unfair business practices, misleading advertisements, deceptive pricing, undisclosed charges and poor service delivery.
The agency also identified the manufacture and sale of substandard, counterfeit or unsafe products as practices that could attract regulatory action.
Solebo appealed to consumers with unresolved complaints to remain patient, explaining that delays in resolving disputes often occur when businesses fail to respond to invitations to mediation.
He advised consumers to keep receipts, invoices, warranties and other relevant documents when submitting complaints, noting that such records could support their cases during the redress process.
The general manager reaffirmed Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to consumer protection and the development of a fair business environment in Lagos State.
He maintained that protecting consumers was a shared responsibility, with both businesses and consumers expected to contribute to a transparent, accountable and consumer-friendly marketplace.
LASCOPA threatens to seal businesses over unresolved consumer complaints