The prolonged legal confrontation between Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and Meta Platforms Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram, appears headed for an amicable resolution. Both parties told the Federal High Court in Abuja that negotiations were underway to settle the Commission’s $32.8 million fine and a raft of compliance orders imposed on the tech giant over alleged data privacy violations involving Nigerian users.
At the resumed hearing before Justice James Omotosho, the companies’ legal teams jointly requested a pause in proceedings. Meta’s counsel, Fred Onwuobia, SAN, said the two sides had reached “an advanced stage of settlement” and urged the court to hold off on ruling on NDPC’s preliminary objection and Meta’s pending motion to amend its filings.
“The draft terms of settlement have already been exchanged,” Onwuobia said, warning that a ruling at this stage might disrupt delicate negotiations.
NDPC’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, agreed that talks had “advanced appreciably” and asked for time to conclude the process so the final agreement could be presented as a consent judgment.
Justice Omotosho welcomed the development, saying the court encourages peaceful resolution of regulatory disputes. He adjourned the matter to October 31, 2025, for either the adoption of settlement terms or the delivery of his pending ruling.
The case stems from the NDPC’s decision in February 2025 to fine Meta $32.8 million and issue eight corrective orders for alleged breaches of Nigeria’s Data Protection Act. The Commission said a civil society petition—filed by the Personal Data Protection Awareness Initiative (PDPAI)—accused Meta of running behavioural advertising on Facebook and Instagram without users’ explicit consent.
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NDPC also faulted Meta for failing to submit its 2022 compliance audit, mishandling cross-border data transfers, and processing the information of non-users.
Meta, however, challenged both the fine and the procedure, arguing it was denied fair hearing and due process. In its March 19 motion, the company claimed the NDPC failed to provide adequate notice before issuing final enforcement orders, violating Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The Commission countered that Meta’s filings were inconsistent and procedurally defective, urging the court to strike them out.
Justice Omotosho had earlier granted Meta permission to seek judicial review, though he declined to suspend the NDPC’s enforcement measures. He had previously fixed October 3, 2025, for a consolidated ruling before the parties announced progress toward settlement.
If successful, the agreement would end one of Nigeria’s most high-profile data privacy battles to date — a case seen as a test of how global tech companies respond to the country’s emerging digital regulatory regime.