Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court Lagos, yesterday fixed April 8, to hear a suit filed by a telecom subscriber, Mr Pasacal Ozioko, against Etisalat Nigeria, over alleged fraudulent promotion.
Justice Yunusa fixed the date following an application by counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Chukwudi Nnaeke, seeking leave to amend his writ of summons and statement of claim.
The judge, therefore, adjourned the matter to enable counsel regularize his processes before the court.
He adjourned the suit to April 8, for hearing.
The plaintiff filed the suit in July 2012, for an order, compelling Etisalat to publish the names of alleged winners in a lottery in which it sought to give out daily sums of N500, 000 to participants.
The plaintiff is claiming the sum of N100 million against Etisalat, as damages for allegedly misleading its subscribers in the lottery.
In his statement of claim, the plaintiff averred that in November 2011, he received several SMS from Etisalat, advertising a lottery.
He said: “Etisalat represented to its subscribers that Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicles were to be won monthly, and a daily cash prize of N500, 000, if subscribers answered daily questions sent to them.
“Each text was to cost N100 and each correct answer attracted points to the subscriber, to qualify him for the prize.”
He said Etisalat represented that subscribers with the highest points were to win the prizes.
The plaintiff averred that he spent almost all his savings sending answers to the questions which eventually earned him 10 million points, to which he received an SMS from Etisalat congratulating him for obtaining the highest point.
According to the plaintiff, “that was all he received from the defendant.”
“I wrote on several occasions to the headquarters of the company at Plot 19, Zone L, Banana Island Ikoyi, to verify the authenticity of their promises, but all to no avail.”