The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has initiated a massive regulatory crackdown, placing 100,000 inactive companies on notice for striking off from the national corporate register.

This sweeping exercise is driven by the failure of these affected entities to comply with basic statutory obligations, specifically their ongoing failure to file mandatory annual returns and update key corporate records with the commission.

According to an official public notice issued by the commission, the target entities have been identified as dormant, not carrying on business, or failing to file their annual returns for a decade. The regulatory body stated that this sixth batch of the strike-off exercise is a continuation of its ongoing mandate to sanitise Nigeria’s corporate database.

To retain their legal status, the CAC has directed all affected firms to file all outstanding annual returns, regularise their corporate profiles, and provide detailed information regarding Persons with Significant Control (PSC) or beneficial ownership within a strict 90-day grace period.

Firms that fail to comply with this directive before the expiration of the three-month ultimatum will be permanently removed from the register without any further warning.

Once a company is officially struck off, it is legally deemed dissolved, and continuing to conduct any form of business operations under that corporate name becomes unlawful unless a restoration order is successfully obtained from the Federal High Court.

This latest enforcement campaign follows a similar massive cleanup in 2025, during which the CAC successfully delisted over 400,000 non-compliant and dormant companies from its system.

The commission maintains that maintaining an accurate and credible business database is essential for boosting investor confidence, ensuring transparency, and actively supporting the national fight against financial crimes, terrorism financing, and money laundering.