Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, over an alleged invasion of his privacy.
Falana claims Meta used his name, image, and voice in a false advertisement for a health product, portraying him as suffering from prostatitis—a condition he says he has never had.
In the suit, filed at the Lagos State High Court on February 3, 2025, Falana argues that the unauthorized use of his identity violates his fundamental right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
The lawsuit stems from a misleading advertisement posted on a Facebook page named “AfriCare Health Centre,” which falsely claimed that Falana had been battling prostatitis for over 16 years and had endured symptoms like pain, fatigue, and urinary issues.
Falana insists he has had no association with the page or the health claims presented.
In his legal documents, Falana describes the video as false and misleading, accusing Meta of unfairly damaging his reputation.
He seeks a declaration that Meta’s actions violated his privacy rights, an order for the removal of the video, and $5 million in general damages for the emotional distress and reputational harm caused by the incident.
Falana further asserts that Meta failed to verify the claims before publishing the content, thus exposing him to ridicule and emotional distress.
He argues that the false publicity was driven by Meta’s attempt to boost user engagement and ad revenue at his expense.
The court has yet to set a hearing date for the case.
