Global tech giant Meta Platforms Inc. has reached an out-of-court settlement with Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission (NDPC) over a $32.8 million fine imposed earlier this year for alleged data privacy violations involving Nigerian users on Facebook and Instagram.
The agreement was formally adopted as a judgment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, after both parties presented their signed terms of settlement.
Meta, represented by Fred Onuobia (SAN), confirmed that the settlement terms, dated October 30 and filed on October 31, 2025, had been mutually agreed upon. The NDPC’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe (SAN), also consented to the application.
“The terms of settlement reached by both parties are hereby entered as the judgment of this court,” Justice Omotosho ruled.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/355/2025, stemmed from NDPC’s February 18 decision to sanction Meta with a $32.8 million remedial fine and eight corrective orders for allegedly breaching users’ privacy rights in relation to behavioural advertising.
Following the penalty, Meta filed a motion ex-parte seeking judicial review and an order to quash the NDPC’s enforcement decision. Although the court granted Meta leave to pursue judicial review, it declined to stay NDPC’s proceedings, instead opting for an accelerated hearing.
Both parties later informed the court that they had entered settlement discussions to resolve the matter amicably. Meta’s counsel had previously requested a suspension of rulings to allow negotiations to continue without prejudice.
NDPC’s objection had challenged the competence of Meta’s case, arguing it was non-compliant with Federal High Court procedural rules and lacked jurisdictional grounds. However, with the latest settlement, the dispute has now been formally resolved.
The fine against Meta marked a significant enforcement milestone under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023 to strengthen citizens’ control over their digital data and promote accountability among tech platforms.
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