The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has launched an investigation into the abrupt manner in which Uber wound down its operations in the country, focusing on whether customers were left with unresolved obligations when the ride-hailing platform ceased service.
The consumer protection watchdog disclosed the probe through its chief executive officer, Tunji Bello, in a message to a foreign news wire on Sunday. Bello said officials were “looking into the manner of their exit,” with particular attention to services customers had paid for or expected but did not receive before the platform shut down.
Uber stopped accepting new trips in Nigeria on September 2, 2026, ending a twelve-year presence in the country that began with its Lagos launch in 2014 before expanding to other cities. The company said the decision followed a thorough internal review and described it as difficult, but did not offer a specific reason for the withdrawal. The shutdown was limited to Nigeria and Uganda and does not affect Uber’s operations elsewhere on the continent, according to the company.
The exit reportedly caught some riders and drivers off guard, raising questions about outstanding account balances, unresolved payments and other pending matters left unaddressed when the platform stopped operating. Uber has said its Help Centre will remain accessible until September 23 to assist affected users with outstanding issues.
The FCCPC’s intervention effectively reframes Uber’s withdrawal from a routine corporate market-exit decision into a consumer protection matter, as the regulator works to establish whether the company met its obligations to Nigerian users before ending service. Possible outcomes of the inquiry could include administrative directives or other regulatory action, though the FCCPC has not indicated what specific measures it may pursue.
Uber’s departure comes amid broader difficulties across Nigeria’s ride-hailing sector, where operators have contended with rising fuel and vehicle costs, inflation, currency volatility and squeezed consumer spending, alongside stiffer competition from rivals such as Bolt and inDrive. The exit is also part of a wider restructuring at Uber, which withdrew from Uganda at the same time and announced a global workforce reduction of roughly 3,300 employees, about ten percent of its total staff.
