Unfair Practices: FCCPC Seals France, Belgium, Italy Visa Centres

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has shut the Abuja office of TLSContact, a visa application centre operated by global outsourcing giant Teleperformance, citing obstruction of a regulatory investigation and assault of its officers.

The enforcement action took place yesterday at the TLSContact facility, which handles visa support services for Nigerians. FCCPC officials, accompanied by police officers and other security agents, ordered staff to vacate the premises before sealing the facility.

Speaking to reporters during the operation,the director of the surveillance and investigation department at the FCCPC, Boladale Adeyinka, said the closure was in response to a series of violations by TLSContact, including failure to cooperate with an active investigation and repeated acts of aggression against law enforcement personnel.  According to Adeyinka, the incident began on March 25, 2025, when the Commission sent a letter to TLSContact concerning a consumer complaint regarding visa processing services. “Instead of responding in accordance with the complaint resolution procedures laid out under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), staff of TLSContact assaulted our officers,” she explained.  Following the reported assault, Adeyinka said the Commission issued a summons pursuant to Section 33 of the FCCPA, ordering TLSContact to appear before it. However, she added, the company’s staff not only refused to accept the summons but allegedly assaulted FCCPC personnel a second time—this time also targeting uniformed police officers who were lawfully providing security during the investigation.

“In view of this pattern of obstruction and physical aggression, the executive vice chairman of the Commission, Tunji Bello, approved the sealing of the TLSContact facility for allegedly offering services that the Commission considers unlawful under the FCCPA,” Adeyinka said.

She said the initial regulatory action stemmed from a consumer complaint alleging that TLSContact failed to deliver visa services despite receiving full payment. Adeyinka further noted that even during the enforcement exercise, the Commission continued to receive additional complaints from Nigerians at the company’s premises claiming to have been shortchanged by the company.  While the operation was ongoing, a TLSContact representative was seen signing an acknowledgment of a new summons issued by the Commission. The document, addressed to the company’s country manager, requires the firm—a subsidiary of global outsourcing company Teleperformance—to appear before the FCCPC today.