The arrests were part of an enforcement exercise carried out
on Thursday at No. 12 Order Street, Rumuola, Stadium Link Road, GRA Phase IV,
Port Harcourt.

The operation followed a preservation order issued by Adamu
Mohammed, judge of a federal high court in the state, empowering the anti-graft
agency to seize equipment and documents allegedly connected to the piracy.

During the operation, EFCC operatives reportedly recovered
broadcasting machines, decoders, transmission equipment, servers, and documents
said to contain evidence of signal manipulation.

Staff members of the firm on duty were also interrogated and
asked to make statements.

Those arrested are Chinedu Nwaikwu, a director, and Uche
Kanu, an engineer in the transmission room. They were caught with 22 decoders
being used for transmission at the time of arrest.

A copy of the order seen by TheCable shows that the court
directed the EFCC to label and preserve all materials linked to the alleged
rebroadcast of DStv and GOtv content as exhibits for trial.

The court also mandated the commission to submit a detailed
inventory and photo documentation of the seized items.

The court restrained Metrodigital Television Ltd, Ifeanyi
John Nwafor, its chief executive officer (CEO), and other associated
firms—Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages, and QTV Plus
Limited—from accessing or transmitting DStv and GOtv signals pending the
conclusion of the case.

Law enforcement agencies were also directed to enforce
compliance, shut down any ongoing illegal transmissions, and monitor activities
to prevent further breaches.

In addition, the court granted a post-no-debit (PND) order
on several bank accounts allegedly linked to proceeds of the suspected piracy.

The accounts affected include those belonging to Nwafor,
Metrodigital Television/SLTV, Denna Rossi Limited, Kristal Food and Beverages,
and QTV Plus Limited.

The EFCC was further mandated to notify commercial banks,
obtain account and bank verification number (BVN) details, and preserve all
funds as suspected proceeds of crime.

When the matter came up, the court declined an EFCC request
for an arrest warrant and INTERPOL watch-listing of the defendants, holding
that they had not yet been formally arraigned.

“An order is hereby made permitting the complainant to
access the premises of the sixth defendant (Metrodigital) situated at No. 12
Order Street, Rumuola, Stadium Link Road, GRA Phase IV, Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, for the purpose of taking possession of machines, equipment, documents
and all instrumentalities and infringing products and documentary evidence of
the volume of dealing in the infringing product to be found therein,” the judge
held in the order granted on October 10.

“An order is hereby made of injunction restraining the
defendants and all other unauthorised persons, companies, firms or bodies from
dealing in, manipulating and accessing the programme-carrying signals, channels
and contents of DStv and GOtv.”

The EFCC, in its compliance report to the court, said all
items seized during the raid had been properly secured and would be presented
as evidence at the next sitting.

The case has been adjourned to October 22, 2025, for plea
and continuation of trial.