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A Lagos High Court ruling reported on September 25, 2026, found Meta’s use of applicants’ personal data for behavioural advertising unlawful and ordered remedies that reportedly include US$100,000 in damages, payable in the naira equivalent. Meta filed an appeal on September 30. The decision is therefore a first-instance ruling under appeal—not a final determination of what every Facebook or Instagram user in Nigeria will see.
What the ruling is about
Behavioural advertising uses signals such as activity, views, clicks, searches or engagement to infer possible interests and select ads. That does not mean every ad follows a search, or that every user’s information is handled in the same way.
The reported case concerned Meta’s collection, processing, profiling and use of Facebook and Instagram users’ personal data for this kind of advertising. TheNigeriaLawyer reports that Justice A.F. Pokanu of the High Court of Lagos State, Ikorodu Judicial Division, found violations of privacy protections under section 37 of Nigeria’s Constitution and provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. TheNigeriaLawyer’s account of the judgment is a report, not the judgment text.
What the court reportedly ordered
The remedies below are reported by TheNigeriaLawyer; the original written judgment was not available to verify the exact wording independently.
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- Stop unlawful processing: Meta was ordered to cease the processing found unlawful.
- Bring operations into compliance: The report says Meta was given eight weeks to take remedial steps concerning its Nigerian data-processing operations.
- Pay damages: The award was reported as the naira equivalent of US$100,000.
- Pay costs: The report lists ₦1 million in costs.
TechCabal’s October 2 edition similarly describes an order to stop the processing and comply with Nigerian data-protection law. Its accessible edition is a third-party repost, rather than a copy located on TechCabal’s own site. The TechCabal Daily item says Meta relied on its free, advertising-funded service and users’ acceptance of platform terms. It reports that the court rejected the argument that profiling for advertising was automatically necessary simply because advertising funds the service. Without the judgment, that should be treated as a news account of the reasoning, not a verified judicial quotation or complete legal analysis.
Meta has appealed; the outcome is unknown
BusinessDay reports that Meta filed a notice of appeal on September 30, five days after the September 25 judgment. BusinessDay’s report on the appeal establishes the filing, but the available reporting does not establish the grounds in the notice or a later appellate decision.
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The procedural picture is therefore limited: the Lagos High Court issued a first-instance decision and remedies as reported; Meta filed an appeal; and the appeal’s merits and result remain unknown. The sources reviewed do not establish whether a stay was granted. The ruling should not be described as overturned, nor should the trial-court decision be presented as the final word while an appeal is pending.
Does this mean Facebook and Instagram ads will change for everyone in Nigeria?
Not on the information established by these reports. The case concerns the applicants and the reported use of their personal data. The available sources do not show an immediate, universal change to Nigerian users’ feeds, or a final prohibition on every form of targeted advertising. They also do not establish how Meta has implemented the reported orders while the appeal proceeds.
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The central issue is the legal basis for processing personal data for advertising—not simply whether Meta may run ads or offer an ad-funded service. Whether particular processing is lawful depends on the facts and applicable legal requirements; this one reported ruling should not be expanded into a claim that all targeted advertising is now prohibited.
How this differs from Meta’s earlier Nigerian case
TechCabal notes an earlier 2024 penalty involving the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), while describing this case as separate. The September 2026 report concerns a Lagos High Court case about personal-data processing for behavioural advertising; it should not be treated as the same proceeding or as an appeal of that earlier matter.
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What is not yet established
The primary judgment and Meta’s notice of appeal were not available in the reporting reviewed. As a result, the exact judicial reasoning and order wording, the case number and full identities of the parties, the appeal grounds, and any stay or later appellate order cannot be confirmed here. Readers should distinguish those unknowns from the reported dates, findings and remedies.
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