A Lagos-based trader, Moses King, has taken fintech firm Opay Digital Services Limited to the Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing the company of unlawfully freezing his account and violating his fundamental rights.

The suit, filed under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure in line with Section 46(3) of the 1999 Constitution, is marked FHC/L/CS/178/2026. King’s lawyer, Barrister Olalekan Ogunbunmi, is asking the court to rule that the restriction placed on his Opay account was illegal and unconstitutional.

King told the court that his account, No. 8087652738, was placed on a Post No Debit (PND) restriction from September 17, 2025 to December 9, 2025. He claimed the action was taken without a court order or valid justification, thereby denying him access to his personal funds.

According to his affidavit, the funds in the account included N500,000 meant for his father’s medical treatment. He alleged that his inability to access the money prevented him from settling hospital bills, a situation he said led to his father’s death.

The applicant maintained that he operates the account for legitimate trading activities and has never been involved in fraudulent transactions. He said repeated inquiries to Opay’s customer service yielded no clear explanation for the restriction. He further claimed that when his lawyer formally requested the basis for the account freeze, the company admitted there was no court order backing the action, stating it was based on an internal report.

King is seeking several reliefs from the court, including:

• A declaration that the account restriction violated his constitutional rights
• A declaration that withholding his funds without lawful authority was illegal
• A declaration that the restriction contributed to his father’s death
• An order directing Opay to publish a public apology in two national newspapers
• N50 million in exemplary damages

He also told the court that the restriction caused him serious hardship, at times leaving him dependent on neighbours for food.

Opay Digital Services Limited had not filed a response as of the time of filing this report, despite being served with court documents.

Justice Daniel Osiagor has scheduled March 2 for the hearing of the case.