Meta, NDPC resolve $32.8m privacy dispute out of court
The Federal High Court in Abuja has resolved the $32.8 million privacy dispute between Meta Platforms, Inc. and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) after both parties reached an out-of-court settlement.
The legal dispute between Meta and the NDPC ended after both sides agreed on terms to settle the $32.8 million fine earlier imposed on the company.
On February 18, 2025, the NDPC fined Meta $32.8 million and issued eight corrective orders for allegedly violating the privacy rights of Nigerian users through behavioural advertising practices on Facebook and Instagram.
At Monday’s proceedings before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Meta’s counsel, Fred Onuobia, SAN, informed the court that the parties had signed terms of settlement dated October 30 and filed on October 31.
“We adopt the terms of settlement and ask my lord to enter them as the judgment of the court,” Onuobia said.
Adeola Adedipe, SAN, Counsel for the NDPC, did not oppose the application.
Justice Omotosho then adopted the agreement as the court’s judgment and commended both parties for choosing to resolve the matter amicably.
“The terms of settlement entered by the parties in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/355/2025, dated October 30 and filed October 31, 2025, are hereby adopted as the judgment of this court,” the judge ruled.
The decision ends months of litigation after Meta challenged the NDPC’s fine and enforcement orders through a judicial review, claiming the agency acted beyond its powers and failed to follow due process.
Read also: Court fixes Nov. 3 for hearing on NDPC, Meta’s $32.8m data privacy settlement
After several adjournments to allow for discussions, both sides eventually reached a mutual resolution.
The NDPC’s case against Meta is one of its major enforcement actions under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023, which seeks to strengthen the protection of Nigerians’ data privacy rights.
