The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
A Lagos State High Court has awarded damages of $25,000 against Meta Platforms Inc. after Facebook, owned by the social media organisation, displayed a picture of Nigerian human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), falsely portraying him as suffering from a terminal illness.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
In its decision, it was learnt that the court held that Meta could not claim that its function was merely that of a “hosting” or “intermediary” platform where it monetises content and where harm arising from misinformation is reasonably foreseeable.
Olumide Babalola, the convener of PrivCon Nigeria, an annual privacy and data protection conference, and co-author of the Casebook on Privacy and Data Protection Law in Nigeria, disclosed the development on Tuesday.
Babalola, who represented Falana and initiated the lawsuit against Meta on his behalf, made the disclosure in a post shared on LinkedIn, where he stated: “Early 2025, a video was published on Facebook displaying a prominent Nigerian human rights lawyer as suffering from a terminal illness.
“The learned Silk briefed me to file a privacy lawsuit against Meta. We did, and judgment was delivered in our favour today, 13th January 2026, and damages of $25, 000 was awarded in our favour.
“The court made some instructive pronouncements: A global technology company such as Meta, which hosts pages for commercial benefit, owes a duty of care to persons affected by content disseminated on its platform.
“The Court rejected the notion that platforms can rely solely on “hosting” or “intermediary” arguments where: the platform monetises content, and harm from misinformation is reasonably foreseeable. This reinforces a platform accountability standard under Nigerian law, aligning with emerging global jurisprudence.
“The fact that the applicant is a public figure does not rob him of his right to privacy. The publication of false medical information was found to intrude into the claimant’s private life, regardless of his public standing.”
“This settles an important misconception in Nigerian practice and affirms that health data enjoys heightened protection, even for public figures,” he added.
Background
On February 9, 2025, SaharaReporters reported that Falana had filed a $5,000,000 ($5 million) lawsuit before a Lagos High Court against the U.S.-based organisation over an alleged invasion of his privacy.
In the originating motion brought pursuant to Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and sections 24(1)(A) and (E) & 34(1)(D) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009, Falana, represented by his lawyer, Babalola, accused the organisation of publishing motion images and a voice captioned “AfriCare Health Centre” on their website.
According to Falana, the publication falsely suggested that he suffered from a disease known as ‘Prostatitis,’ which he claims constitutes an invasion of his privacy as guaranteed by Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Falana described the publication and the video as released through the organisation’s platform -www.facebook.com, as “false, inaccurate, misleading and unfair to the Applicant and a violation of the provision of section 24(1)(a) and (e) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.”
Falana asked the court to declare that Meta’s continued publication of a Facebook video falsely claiming he suffers from prostatitis violates his constitutional right to privacy.
He asked for an order compelling Meta to immediately remove and delete the video, titled “AfriCare Health Centre,” from its platform.
Falana also demanding $5 million in general damages for the harm caused, arguing that the false publication intruded into his private life, portrayed him in a false light, and caused emotional and psychological distress. He insisted he had never suffered from prostatitis and has never had any dealings with Meta regarding his health.
In his court filings, Falana stated that Meta published his name, image and a fabricated health narrative without verification, in breach of Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. He alleged that the video, accessible globally on Facebook, had been viewed by millions and was published recklessly to drive traffic and advertising revenue.
Falana described the publication as offensive, misleading and unjustified, stressing that it had damaged his reputation and caused ongoing anxiety and distress.
He urged the court to intervene to protect his privacy and prevent further harm to his image.
