Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., alleging the tech giant invaded his privacy by publishing false health claims about him on Facebook.
The lawsuit, filed in Lagos High Court, centres on a video published under the name “AfriCare Health Centre” that claimed Falana had been suffering from prostatitis for 16 years. Through his attorney, Olumide Babalola, Falana asserts these claims are entirely fabricated and constitute a violation of his constitutional right to privacy.
According to court documents, the video featured Falana’s name, image, and what purported to be his voice, claiming he was diagnosed with prostatitis at age 50 and had undergone various unsuccessful treatments. “I have never suffered from any disease known as ‘Prostatitis’ in my life,” Falana stated in his affidavit. “The video and its contents are false, inaccurate, misleading, and unfair to me.”
The senior advocate, known for his work in constitutional law and human rights advocacy, argues that Meta’s failure to verify the content before publication demonstrates careless and reckless behaviour, suggesting the company prioritised advertising revenue over truth and privacy rights.
“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,” the lawsuit states.
Falana is seeking not only monetary damages but also an order compelling Meta to remove the offending content from Facebook. The case is being brought under Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and various provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The veteran lawyer, who has built his reputation on defending civil rights and challenging government overreach, claims the false publication has caused him significant emotional distress and anxiety while exposing him to public ridicule.
The case is currently pending before the Lagos High Court. Meta has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
Follow the AkweyaTV channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7m7dvJuyA7h5XMc22i
