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Femi Falana Files $5 Million Suit Against Meta for Alleged Invasion of Privacy
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has filed a $5, 000, 000 (Five million US dollar) suit before a Lagos High Court against the United States of America-based organization Meta Platforms Inc., over alleged invasion of his privacy.
Falana, through his lawyer, Olumide Babalola, accused Meta of publishing motion images and voice captioned, “AfriCare Health Center,” on their website to the effect that he suffered a disease known as ‘Prostatitis’ which the lawyer claimed constitutes an invasion of his privacy as guaranteed by section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
The suit was filed pursuant to Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 24(1)(A) and (E) & Section 34(1)(D) of Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, Order 2 Rule 1 Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009.
In documents put before the court, Falana claimed the publication and the video as released through the organization’s platform -www.facebook.com, is “false, inaccurate, misleading and unfair to him and thereby violates the provision of section 24(1)(a) and (e) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.”
The Senior Advocate is therefore asking the court for a declaration that the “Respondents continued publication of the Applicants name, still and motion images and purported voice on a page and video captioned ‘AfriCare Health Centre’ on their platform – www.facebook.com to the effect that the Applicant suffered from a disease known as ‘Prostatitis constitutes an invasion of the Applicants privacy guaranteed by section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”
He is also asking the court for an order mandating the “Respondents to forthwith remove, erase and delete the video captioned ‘AfriCare Health Centre’ on their platform – www.facebook.com.”
For the damages the publication has caused him, Falana is asking for general damages of $5, 000, 000 (five million US dollars) and any consequential order that the court may deem fit to grant in the circumstance.
Falana says that the published false video about his health status has rubbished his image and the name he built over the years.
He argued that the publication by the respondent which is false, offensive, and disturbing paints him in a false light, that has caused him mental and emotional disturbances.
The grounds upon which the originating processes were instituted were that the applicant as a reputable person is guaranteed the enjoyment of the fundamental right to privacy under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and that the respondents published the applicant’s name and images and ascribed a false illness to him and thereby violated his right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution and Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and he has suffered emotional and psychological distress as a result of the false story.
In the affidavit in support of the motion, Falana claimed that he is known for his fearless legal battles, often taking on cases against government policies and actions that infringe upon the rights of citizens, and that his law practice covers a broad range of areas, including constitutional law, civil rights, public interest litigation, and international human rights law.
He said further that he is recognized for his work in defending freedom of expression, advocating for the rights of marginalized groups, and challenging governmental overreach.
Falana alleged that the respondent is a media company operating a global social media platform known as www.facebook.com. and that on the 16th day of January 2025, he discovered a video of his person was posted on the Respondent’s platform under a page named “AfriCare Health Centre” on the Respondent’s platform – www.facebook.com. which he tendered as an Exhibit in the suit.
He stated: “In the video that carries my name and picture, I am reported to have said: ‘My name is Femi Falana, and I have been battling prostatitis for over 16 years. At the age of 50, I was diagnosed with this condition. Every day I faced pain, discomfort, and constant fatigue. I had trouble urinating lower back pain and other symptoms that made it difficult to live a full life. Despite consulting the best urologist in the country, no one could offer me effective treatment, I was prescribed numerous medications, physical therapy even surgery but the problem was that these methods only temporarily relieved the symptoms.”
He lamented the wrongful publication and insisted that he has been greatly prejudiced by the respondent’s video on the grounds that his health life is part of his private life and he has never suffered any disease known as ‘Prostatitis’ in his life.
The SAN submitted that “I have never had any dealing with the respondent or its pages on issues with my health life. The video and its contents are false, inaccurate, misleading, and unfair to me. The video paints me in a false light and as such is an invasion of my privacy.”
He claimed that the respondent operates global platforms and anything published on these platforms is accessed and viewed by millions of people around the world. Hence, the stories have been viewed by millions of people since January 2023 when they were published on the respondent’s platforms.
Falana said, “For the purpose of this suit, I do not find these stories libelous but since they are false and fabricated against me, I find them offensive, reckless, insensitive, disturbing, and an unjustifiable intrusion into my privacy by painting me in a false light.
“By the video, the Respondent’s page has given me publicity that paints me in a false light as the insinuations in the video are false and they infringe my right to privacy right to be let alone.
“At the time of deposing to this affidavit, the video has been published to the entire world on the Internet, and it has remained there for several weeks.
“For their failure to verify the page and video before publishing, I believe the Respondent’s publicity of my name and image in a false light was done carelessly and recklessly to draw traffic to the Respondent’s platform to boost its advertisement revenues.
“I believe that the respondent’s use of my name and image in the video is unfair and insensitive to my feelings since they never verified the claims as expected.
“I find the respondents’ publicity of my photograph and name in a false light highly offensive and emotionally disturbing. This continues to cause me anxiety, sadness, and exposure to ridicule.”
He therefore asked the court to rescue and save his image from being ruined.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly denied allegations of lack of integrity and transparency directed at its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, by columnist Steve Osuji.
In a statement issued by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC. the commission described the claims as “worrisome and unjustifiable,” particularly criticizing the personal attacks on Olukoyede.
“More worrisome was his attack on Olukoyede for no justifiable reason. Allegations of lack of transparency, accountability and integrity deficit are wild and clearly off the mark,” Oyewale said.
He questioned the basis for the allegations and defended Olukoyede’s leadership since taking office.
“The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? Is it by insisting that the right things should always be done? By moving the nation’s anti-graft war forward radically and unprecedentedly?
“By bringing forth a preventive framework to tackle corruption and reaping bountiful gains for the nation?
“By recovering the globally-acclaimed 753 duplexes and other apartments, which are proceeds of fraudulent dealings for the nation?
“By launching the EFCC into a global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By handling 50,000 case files in one year?
“By embarking on a courageous internal cleansing system and other progressive initiatives to deepen and strengthen the anti-corruption fight?
“It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide under vague and opaque cover to splash mud on Ola Olukoyede, arguably one of the finest breed of anti-graft czars around the world.”
Olukoyede, through the statement, reaffirmed that the EFCC has consistently submitted its annual reports to the National Assembly as required by law.
“Equally preposterous are claims of re-looting of assets by officers of the Commission. For the purpose of clarification, the Commission does not recover monetary assets into its covers and the non-monetary assets that are recovered are disposed of following clear pronouncements by court and proceeds paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account account in the Central Bank in line with provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
“The EFCC does not operate in secrecy. All its operations are regularly communicated to the public, including public auction of assets. To deliberately cast the Commission in the mould of fraudulent engagements or criminality is not only mischievous but also untenable,” the statement concluded.
IHS Nigeria and its implementing partner, the United Nations Child Education Fund (UNICEF) has expressed satisfaction that the Oxygen Plant recently donated to Rivers State is helping to bridge the health Gap in the state and its environs.
This observation was made recently when officials from IHS Nigeria and UNICEF, carried out a project inspection visit to the plant located at the General Hospital in Eleme, Rivers State.
During the handing over of the oxygen plant to the Rivers State Government in 2024, the facility was reported to have a production capacity of 123 oxygen cylinders and 720,000 litres of oxygen every 24 hours.
The plant was built under a Public-Private Partnership involving UNICEF, the Canadian Government, IHS Nigeria, in partnership with the Rivers State Ministry of Health through the State Hospital Management Board.
Speaking during the visit to the facility yesterday, the Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, Titilope Oguntuga, noted that the oxygen plant has saved lives and is helping to bridge health gaps in the eight other states where similar plants are located.
She further explained that the visit reflects the organisation’s commitment “not only to create opportunities for impact but to also continue supporting the healthcare industry by carrying out such interventions that directly impact individuals and saves lives. This plant is one of the nine oxygen plants we have built across the federation,” she said.
“We are particularly excited that it is helping to bridge health gaps—not just in Rivers State and its environs, but in all the states where the plants are currently located.”
Oguntuga informed that in terms of sustainability “we focus our intervention sustainability on four pillars; ethics and governance, education and economic growth, environment and climate change and finally, people and communities”.
She added that “the visit to the Rivers State oxygen plant is to have an assessment of how well the plant is functioning, the impact it is currently making and to generally understand how the operation is going”.
On his part, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Port Harcourt, Dr Anslem Audu, stated that the plant has been very functional and useful to the people of Rivers State. According to him, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of patients needed oxygen and oxygen was not available. So many children will come down with pneumonia and it will become an emergency, they will need oxygen, but oxygen is not available in the hospital. But with this plant now available no child will die because of lack of oxygen in the hospital. The era of lack of oxygen is no longer there.
Audu added that “You can practically visit any of the hospitals in Port Harcourt and find out that they have oxygen and the product is from this plant all thanks to IHS Nigeria, the Canadian Government and UNICEF”.
The UNICEF field officer, who confirmed that the plant is functioning optimally, said it is producing enough oxygen for the state’s needs.
In his words, “The partnership between these three organizations and the Ministry of Health in Rivers State has really worked, and we are reaping the benefits of the partnership.
He urged the implementing partners, especially the government, to also invest in the sustainability of the facility by providing a source of electricity for the plant to be more functional.
Earlier, the Medical Director Eleme General Hospital, Dr Leechi-Okere Clarabelle, noted that since the day of the unveiling, the plant has been functioning very well. Commenting on impact he noted that “We’ve had success stories whereby oxygen is distributed to public hospitals in the state, including the two teaching hospitals in the state and then we have also extended distribution to some private hospitals within the state.
“We have two hubs that serve as storage and distribution points because of the location of the plant. We produce here and store somewhere in Port Harcourt so that people who come from a far distance can get oxygen from these hubs.
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accused a 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate of manipulating his identity and engaging in online blackmail.
Fabian Benjamin, head of public affairs, JAMB, issued a statement on the matter on Thursday.
He said one Chinedu Okeke, currently a 400-level Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), gained admission in 2021 while claiming to be from Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos state.
JAMB said Okeke’s national identification number (NIN) records from 2021 confirm his Lagos origin.
The board stated it does not alter candidate information provided through NIN.
The board, however, said the 400-level student, who is facing potential challenges for incorrect credentials, is now claiming that it retrieved the wrong details for him from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in 2021.
“[This] is unequivocally false, aimed at fabricating a defence for his case,” Benjamin said.
“The evidence suggests that Chinedu altered his records as filled in 2021 before registering for the 2025 UTME, a fact confirmed by even his advocates.”
The board questioned why a 400-level medical student would seek to study mechanical engineering in 2025, especially with “inconsistencies in his claims.”
JAMB alleged that Okeke “took advantage” of Lagos state’s quota in 2021, thereby obstructing the admission opportunities for other deserving candidates from the state.
It added that he then “attempted to manipulate his details with the NIMC” to unjustly claim representation from Anambra state in 2025.
The board criticised “online advocates” for “actively reaching out to Chinedu’s parents to extract emotional narratives rather than factual clarifications, neglecting to seek information directly from the university.”
JAMB affirmed its commitment to maintaining accurate records and preventing candidates from exploiting loopholes.
It warned that if UNN confirms any inconsistencies, it would notify the Medical and Dental Council to consider delisting Okeke.
“When a nation trivialises illegalities, it breeds a future fraught with potential criminality,” Benjamin’s statement concluded.
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