Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, over what he describes as an invasion of his privacy. The suit, filed before a Lagos High Court, seeks $5 million in damages for the alleged unauthorized use of his image and voice in a misleading video.
Falana, represented by his lawyer, Olumide Babalola, claims that Meta published a video and voice captioned “AfriCare Health Center” on its platform, Facebook, suggesting that he suffers from a medical condition known as Prostatitis. He argues that this publication is false and has violated his right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
In the legal documents submitted to the court, Falana describes the video as “false, inaccurate, misleading, and unfair.” He contends that Meta’s publication not only violates Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023 but also misrepresents his health status to the public. He asserts that he has never had Prostatitis and has never engaged with Meta regarding any health-related matters.
The suit is based on Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as Sections 24(1)(A) and (E) and Section 34(1)(D) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. Falana is requesting a court order directing Meta to remove the video from its platform immediately.
He maintains that the false claims in the video have damaged his reputation, causing him significant emotional and psychological distress. Falana states that the publication has tarnished the name and credibility he has built over the years. He also notes that Meta’s platforms have a global reach, meaning the misleading information has been viewed by millions of people since its release in January 2023.
“The video paints me in a false light and as such is an invasion of my privacy,” Falana stated in the court filings.
In addition to the $5 million in damages, Falana is seeking any other relief the court may consider appropriate.
