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Before You Do This · Consumer Protection
Entity and terms, consumer duties, payments, personal data and the online-conduct rules that apply the moment you trade at a distance.
The situation: You are about to start selling to the public over the internet
Selling online collapses several bodies of law into one launch: how you are constituted, what you promise, how you take money, what you do with data, and how you behave on a network.
None of it is exotic. What catches new online businesses is that all of it applies at once, from the first order.
What the law is doing in this situation, and which instrument it sits under. These are general explanations, not an assessment of your circumstances.
Trade through a registered entity
Trading personally exposes personal assets, complicates payment processing and makes it harder to contract. Registration under CAMA 2020 is the baseline step.
Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020
Your terms are the contract with every customer
Website terms, delivery terms, returns and refunds, and any subscription mechanics form the agreement. They should describe how your business actually operates, and be presented before purchase rather than buried after it.
Consumer protection governs how you describe and sell
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 addresses misleading representations, unfair terms and the treatment of consumers, and the FCCPC is the regulator. Marketing claims, pricing displays and complaint handling all sit within it.
Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018
You become a data controller on the first order
Names, addresses, phone numbers and payment identifiers are personal data. A privacy notice, a lawful basis, a retention period and control over your tooling are needed from launch, not after growth.
Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023
Payments bring their own obligations
Use licensed payment providers, understand their terms on chargebacks and settlement holds, and never store card data yourself. Your provider's rules will shape refunds and disputes.
Online conduct is regulated
The Cybercrimes Act 2015 addresses unauthorised access, interception and misuse of computer systems, and applies both to how you protect your systems and to how your business behaves online.
Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015
Do not build on someone else's rights
Brand name, product photography, site copy, fonts and code all carry ownership. Clear the brand before you print it, and license what you did not create.
Trade Marks Act · Copyright Act 2022
These are ordinary and usually well-intentioned. That is exactly why they are worth naming.
None of these is proof of bad faith on its own. Two or three together is a reason to slow down.
Work through these before you commit. They are educational prompts, not a compliance certification.
When to speak to a lawyer