KEY POINTS

• Femi Falana has submitted a $5 million lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. because of privacy violations.
• Through this lawsuit Falana asserts Facebook released an untrue video showing him with a prostatitis diagnosis.
• The lawsuit demands $5 million compensation together with the deletion of the video contents.

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mr. Femi Falana filed a $5 million (Five Million US Dollars) legal action at a Lagos High Court against Meta Platforms Inc. for allegedly breaching his privacy.

The originating motion filed under 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 and Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009 faulted the organization for displaying motion pictures and voice clips entitled AfriCare Health Center which wrongly suggested that Falana had prostatitis.

The attorney states that the publication infringes upon his constitutional right to privacy as provided in Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution.

False publication and invasion of privacy

The lawyer claims that the organization’s release of the video along with the publication on its platform at www.facebook.com fails to represent facts accurately and promotes unfairness against the applicant and thus breaches parts (a) and (e) of Section 24(1) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.

Through his court petition Falana seeks constitutional protection for the Applicant’s personal privacy which ensures the removal of his name alongside his still and motion images along with his purported voice from the pages and video named “AfriCare Health Centre” visible on their platform.

The request to the court also includes an order that directs the Facebook users to delete instantly the AfriCare Health Centre video on www.facebook.com platform.

Falana sues Meta, request for damages

To address the compensation related to the publication Falana demands general damages amounting to $5,000,000 (Five Million US Dollars) while requesting specific court orders that would be appropriate under these circumstances.

Falana sues Meta, asserts that the incorrect video showing his health situation which stems from private matters has wounded his reputation as well as his accumulated professional standing.

Emotional and psychological distress

He maintains that the false offensive and disturbing publication from the Respondent exposes him in a false manner which results in emotional distress and psychological harm.

Under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) Falana enjoys the fundamental right to privacy which the Respondents infringed by publishing his details and the fabricated illness diagnosis.

Affidavit in support of the motion

Through his sworn declaration Falana described his public reputation because he fights court battles fearlessly and works within various legal domains like constitutional rights advocacy as well as civil rights, public interest defense and international human rights work.

The community honors him for his dedication to free speech protection and his fight for minority rights together with his opposition to governmental intrusion.

He stated that the Respondent functions as an international media firm that operates the worldwide social media platform located at www.facebook.com. Falana found himself in a video posted under “AfriCare Health Centre” on January 16, 2025 on the Respondent’s platform. The complained video served as court evidence during the proceedings.

The false video and its impact

Through the video Falana demonstrated that he faced prostatitis for more than sixteen years but these allegations were completely false. He claims that the video together with its content portrays false information which unfairly stains his reputation and violates his privacy rights. The Respondent has no history of dealing with theitioner in any aspect concerning his health.

The video amassed millions of global views since it first appeared but Falana asserts that the publishers created the video recklessly to generate platform views for advertisement purposes.

Falana sues Meta as he seeks justice

According to Falana the Respondent acted without compassion to his feelings by using his name together with his image in the video without first verifying the facts before publication. The public revelation of his name and image under false pretenses hit him with emotional distress and anxiety because he faced both sadness and public humiliation which caused fear.

Falana sues Meta, he asks the court to intervene to recover his damaged reputation and obtain justice for the suffered harm.