Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has warned that it may be forced to suspend its services (Facebook and Instagram) in Nigeria over what it calls “unrealistic” regulatory demands by local authorities.
The threat comes after three Nigerian oversight agencies slammed the tech giant with fines totalling more than $290 million (£218 million) last year, citing violations of competition, advertising, and data protection laws.
Meta recently failed to overturn these sanctions in a Federal High Court in Abuja. In court documents reviewed by The BBC, the company said it might have to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria “to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.”
Although Meta also owns WhatsApp, the messaging service was not mentioned in the court filings.
The court has given the company until the end of June to settle the fines.
Facebook remains Nigeria’s most widely used social media platform, with tens of millions relying on it for communication, news, and business especially among small online entrepreneurs.
Read also: Nigerian tribunal upholds Meta’s $220m fine
The penalties were issued last July. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) fined Meta $220 million for alleged anti-competitive practices.
The advertising regulator imposed a $37.5 million penalty for running unapproved ads. And the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) levied a $32.8 million fine for alleged data privacy violations.
Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC chief executive, said investigations conducted alongside the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023 revealed “invasive practices against data subjects/consumers in Nigeria,” although he did not detail the specific infractions.
In its legal filings, Meta said its “primary concern” lies with the NDPC, which it accused of “misinterpreting” Nigeria’s data protection framework.
Among the NDPC’s most controversial demands is a requirement that Meta seek prior approval before transferring any personal data out of Nigeria, a condition the company described as “unrealistic.”
The commission also directed Meta to display an icon linking users to educational content on data privacy, created in collaboration with government-approved institutions and non-profits.
These materials must explain the risks of “manipulative and unfair data processing,” including potential health and financial harm to users.
Meta called these conditions unfeasible and argued that the NDPC has failed to correctly interpret the country’s data protection laws.
