Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has moved to settle its legal dispute with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) over a $32.8 million fine and a series of compliance orders related to alleged data privacy violations.
The announcement came before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who had scheduled a ruling on the NDPC’s preliminary objection against Meta and the company’s motion to amend its court filings.
Meta challenged the NDPC’s February 18, 2025, decision, which imposed fines and corrective measures following allegations that the company engaged in behavioral advertising without Nigerian users’ consent, failed to file a 2022 compliance audit, violated cross-border data transfer rules, and processed data of non-users. Meta argued it was denied fair hearing and due process.
NDPC, however, contended that Meta’s lawsuit was defective, claiming the tech giant sought to amend its reliefs under the guise of harmonizing documents, which is not allowed under court rules.
During Friday’s proceedings, Meta’s lawyer, Fred Onwuobia, SAN, requested the court defer its ruling, citing the parties’ advanced stage of settlement discussions. NDPC’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, confirmed the progress of the talks, urging the court to adjourn for the parties to submit settlement terms as a consent judgment.
Justice Omotosho welcomed the settlement approach and adjourned the matter to October 31, 2025, for either a ruling or adoption of settlement terms.
The NDPC fine against Meta is part of the commission’s enforcement of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, signed into law in June 2023 to safeguard Nigerians’ data privacy. In a similar case, the commission recently fined Pay-TV operator Multichoice Nigeria N766.2 million for violating data protection regulations.
