News
Falana drags Mack Zuckerberg’s Meta to Court ,demands $5m over alleged invasion of privacy
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has instituted a $5,000,000 (Five Million US Dollars) lawsuit before a Lagos High Court against Meta Platforms Inc., the U.S.-based tech giant owned by Mark Zuckerberg, over alleged invasion of his privacy
In the originating motion brought pursuant to Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and section 24(1)(A) and (E) & Section 34(1)(D) of Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, Order 2 Rule 1 Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009, by his lawyer, Olumide Babalola, the human rights Lawyer accused the organization of publishing motion images and voice captioned, “AfriCare Health Center,” in their website to the effect that Falana has suffered a disease known as ‘Prostatitis’, which the lawyer claimed constitutes an invasion of his privacy as guaranteed by section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
Falana claimed the publication and the video as released through the organization’s platform -www.facebook.com, is “false, inaccurate, misleading and unfair to the Applicant and thereby violates the provision of section 24(1)(a) and (e) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023
To this end, the reputable lawyer was praying the court for a declaration that the “Respondents continued publication of the Applicants name, still and motion images and purported voice on a page and video captioned “AfriCare Health Centre on their platform – www.facebook.com to the effect that the Applicant suffered from a disease known as ‘Prostatitis constitutes an invasion of the Applicants privacy guaranteed by section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”
Besides, he is praying the court for an order mandating the “Respondents to forthwith remove, erase and delete the video captioned “AfriCare Health Centre on their platform – www.facebook.com.”
For the damages the publication has caused him, Falana, was asking for a general damages in the sum of $5, 000, 000 (Five Million US Dollars) and a consequential order that the court may deem fit to grant in the circumstance.
Falana who claimed that the published false video about his health status, which is his private life has rubished his image and the name he built over the years.
He argued that the publication by the Respondent which is false, offensive and disturbing paints him in a false light, that has caused him mental and emotional disturbances.
The grounds upon which the originating processes was instituted was that the Applicant as a reputable person is guaranteed the enjoyment of fundamental right to privacy under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and that the Respondents published the Applicants name and images and ascribed a false illness to him and thereby violated his right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution and Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and he has suffered emotional and psychological distress as a result of the false story
In the affidavit in support of the motion, Falana claimed that he is known for his fearless legal battles, often taking on cases against government policies and actions that infringe upon the rights of citizens and that his law practice covers a broad range of areas, including constitutional law, civil rights, public interest litigation, and international human rights law.
He said further that he is recognized for his work in defending freedom of expression, advocating for the rights of marginalized groups, and challenging governmental overreach.
He alleged that the Respondent is a media company operating a global social media platform known as www.facebook.com. and that on the 16th day of January 2025, he discovered a video of his person was posted on the Respondent’s platform under the page named “AfriCare Health Centre on Respondent’s platform – www.facebook.com. which he tendered as an Exhibit in the suit.
He noted: “In video that carries my name, picture and purported video, I am reported to have said that: “My name is Femi Falana, and I have been battling prostatitis for over 16 years. At the age of 50, I was diagnosed with this condition. Every day I faced pain, discomfort and constant fatigue. I had trouble urinating lower back pain and other symptoms that made it difficult to live a full life.
Despite consulting the best urologist in the country, no one could offer me effective treatment, I was prescribed numerous medications, physical therapy even surgery but the problem was that these methods only temporarily relived the symptoms.”
He bemoaned the wrongful publication that he has been greatly prejudiced by the video of the Respondent’s on the grounds that his health life is part of his private life and he has never suffered any disease known as ‘Prostatitis’ in his life.
He averred that, “I have never had any dealing with the Respondent or its pages on issues with my health life.
The video and its contents are false, inaccurate, misleading and unfair to me. The video paints me in a false light and as such an invasion of my privacy.”
He claimed that the Respondent operates global platforms and anything published on these platforms are accessed and viewed by millions of people around the world. Hence, the stories have been viewed by millions of people since January 2023 when they were published on the Respondents platforms.
He said, “For the purpose of this suit, I do not find these stories libelous but since they are false and fabricated against me, I find them offensive, reckless, insensitive, disturbing and unjustifiable intrusion into my privacy by painting me in a false light.
“By the video, the Respondent’s page has given me a publicity that paints me in false light as the insinuations in the video are false and they infringe my right to privacy right to be let alone.
“At the time of deposing to this affidavit, the video has been published to the entire world on the Internet, and it has remained there for several weeks.
“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.
“I believe that the Respondents use of my name and image in the video is unfair and insensitive to my feelings since they never verified the claims as expected.
“I find the Respondents’ publicity of my photograph and name in a false light highly offensive and emotionally disturbing. This continues to cause me anxiety, sadness and exposure to ridicule.”
He therefore prayed the court for a rescue and save his image from being ruined.
News
It’s A Lie Not Foreign Herders Responsible for Plateau,Benue, Other Crises- Miyetti Allah Declares
… insists it’s political
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The National Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association, Saleh Alhassan, has claimed that politicians are the real cause of the crisis in Plateau State, not herders.
He made the claim on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he spoke about national security and the farmer-herder conflict.
He spoke against Defence Headquarters comments that foreign herders were behind attacks in Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country.
Recall that the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, made the statement on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja.
However, Alhassan dismissed that explanation, calling it “misleading” and “politically motivated.” He said: “The notion and narrative of foreign herders is a distraction. It is a continuation of efforts to deny Nigerian herders their citizenship and a major challenge to achieving peace, especially concerning the farmers-herders conflict.”
On the Plateau crisis, he said: “I schooled and grew up in Plateau, so I know the root causes of these crises. The recent conflict in Bokkos, for instance, started over a motorcycle theft, not grazing or land use. But suddenly, every conflict is labelled a farmer-herder clash.”
He also stated: “If Governor Caleb Mutfwang wants to be sincere, he knows this conflict is political.
There is a clear agenda to expel herders from Plateau State. His political godfather, former Governor Jonah Jang, has been a driver of that narrative, and it has been renewed again.”
Speaking further, he said: “Peaceful herders have no business with banditry. But when governors abandon conventional law enforcement and empower ethnic militias, injustices are committed against herders. In such a setting, herders resort to self-help.”
“We are heading into another election season, and suddenly conflicts are being reignited and mischaracterised as herder-farmer clashes. In Plateau, for instance, this is not even the cropping season, yet such narratives are being pushed. These are pretentious statements. Treat criminals as criminals, treat bandits as bandits.”
Our herders are not armed. What we have are armed bandits in our forests, who are mistakenly or deliberately labelled as herders. We’ve lost many herders and thousands of cattle, yet we’re still accused as the perpetrators.”
“Most of the images we see of armed herders are not even from Nigeria.” And concluded: “There are no foreign herders in North Central Nigeria. What exists in some border communities are bandits and criminals, not genuine herders.”
He accused authorities of ignoring the suffering of herders.
It’s always convenient for security agencies to blame us to avoid engaging in deep conversations that address the root cause of these issues. Let them parade those arrested and show us their nationalities. It’s not just about Fulfulde, Fulani or the language they speak.”
He admitted the difficulty of tracking herders, saying their nomadic lifestyle makes it hard, even though the association keeps a register.
To resolve the issue, Alhassan said integration of livestock across the country should be implemented.
His comments come amid renewed violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including recent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs in Plateau State, which claimed over 100 lives in April 2025
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is withholding 39,834 UTME results after uncovering irregularities, with over 80 suspects currently being interrogated nationwide during the 2025 examinations.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it is withholding 39,834 results from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The results are being withheld due to several cases of exam malpractice.
This update came as the board officially released the results of the 2025 UTME. It had earlier reported that around 1.9 million candidates participated in the exam across Nigeria.
According to JAMB, about 80 suspects are currently being questioned in different parts of the country for their alleged involvement in cheating during the exam. The highest number of suspects so far has come from Anambra State, with 14 individuals under investigation.
While announcing the release of the results, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, shared more details about the situation. He revealed that only 467 underage candidates were able to meet the required rminimum score for admission. He also said that 50 of those underage candidates had been caught cheating.
GWG.ng reports that the decision of JAMB to withhold the 39,834 results from the UTME trails claims by a senior government official that the increased failure from the exam was a result of the administration’s tough measures against malpractises.
Ex-Governor of Kano State and the National Leader of Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso has slammed some key members of the New Nigerian Peoples Party in Kano State, who recently defected to All Progressives Congress, describing their actions as betrayal of the the movement and party.
He made this remark at his Miller Road residence in Kano on Friday evening when he received hundreds of supporters from Takai Local Government who refused join the All Progressives Congress.
Recall that Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, who represents Kano South Senatorial District at the National Assembly, recently defected to the APC along with some federal lawmakers from Kano State.
Even though Kwankwaso did not mention their names, he said,” Kano South is a lesson. Voters rejected superghetti, N200 and Atamfa (wrappers) and were patient to vote for the NNPP.
“But those who won the election among us decided to abandon the masses and join those who do not have the masses at heart but are only after what they will get for themselves and their families.
“There is no worse political sin than leaving the party that gave you the opportunity and support but later you abandoned the party. This is the highest level of betrayal,” Kwankwaso said.
He, therefore, advised the youth to be wary of such politicians who are not after their well-being but rather they are after their pockets.
The former governor, who appreciated the decampees for “taking the courage to return to their base, said all those who betrayed Kwankwasiyya would regret their actions sooner or later.
“Fighting Kwankwasiyya is not an easy task, they will not know until when they engage in the fight.
In his remark, the state NNPP chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa thanked the decampees for taking the right step and assured them that the party would treat them equally.
The occasion was witnessed by the Senator representing Kano Central, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, former Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Falali and chairman of Takai local government, Ibrahim Faruruwa among others.
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