How long can a debt collector legally call me each week?

While Nigerian law (the FCCPC Act and the new Digital Lending Regulations) strictly prohibits harassment and unreasonable debt collection practices, there is currently no specific, publicly stated law that defines a precise number of calls per day or week (e.g., "only 3 calls per week"). Instead, the law focuses on the quality and impact of those calls.

The rule is: any communication that is "repeated, persistent, or aggressive" to the point where it could cause fear, distress, or emotional upset is considered harassment and is illegal. A debt collector can call you to discuss a legitimate debt, but they cannot call you 20 times a day, call you late at night, or call you at your workplace after you have asked them to stop .

Example/Illustration:

• Legal: A loan app representative calls you once a day at a reasonable hour (say, 2 PM) to remind you of an overdue payment and discuss a repayment plan.
• Illegal (Harassment): The same loan app calls you at 11 PM, then again at 6 AM, and then calls you 15 more times between 9 AM and 10 AM. Even if each call is short, this pattern of behavior is defined as harassment.

What you should do: Keep a log of every call (time, date, phone number). If they call you more than 2-3 times a day in a harassing manner, save the call logs and file a complaint with the FCCPC.