The High Court of Imo State has dismissed a fundamental rights suit seeking $25 million in damages from Meta Platforms Inc. over alleged violations of privacy and data protection rights.
Chika Chukwuemeka, the applicant, had accused Meta of collecting, processing, profiling and using her personal data for behavioural advertising without her consent.
She argued that the alleged activities violated her constitutional right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.
Chukwuemeka sought declarations that Meta’s alleged processing of her personal data was unlawful, an order stopping further processing and an order compelling the company to bring its data-processing activities in Nigeria into compliance with the NDPA.
She also asked the court to order Meta to file an affidavit confirming compliance.
Why the Court Dismissed the Suit
The applicant sought $10 million in general damages and $15 million in exemplary damages, alongside post-judgement interest at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rate until the judgement debt was fully paid.
Delivering judgement on July 21, 2026, Justice L.C. Alinnor held that Chukwuemeka failed to establish that Meta had infringed her constitutional right to privacy or unlawfully processed her personal data.
The court found that a substantial part of the case relied on a final order previously issued against Meta by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Those orders had been challenged by Meta before the Federal High Court in Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/355/2025, Meta Platforms, Inc. v. Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
The Federal High Court later adopted the terms of settlement reached between Meta and the NDPC as a consent judgement, bringing that dispute to an end.
Relying on submissions by Paul Mgbeoma, counsel to Meta, Justice Alinnor held that the NDPC’s final orders, having been set aside, could no longer form the basis of Chukwuemeka’s claims.
Court Finds Insufficient Evidence
The judge also considered the case independently of the NDPC proceedings and found that the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence to establish a specific infringement of her privacy rights by Meta.
According to the court, Meta was not presented with enough detailed facts or evidence to justify the reliefs sought by the applicant.
The court concluded that the foundation on which the case substantially rested had collapsed, describing the suit as “built on nothing”.
The suit was subsequently dismissed in its entirety for want of merit.
