FG’s ₦30B Suit Against Facebook To Commence In October
The N30 billion lawsuit brought by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria against Meta Platforms Incorporated (owners of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms) and its representative AT3 Resources Limited will be heard by the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, in October.
This information was provided in an interview with Punch by Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of ARCON.
ARCON is asking for a declaration that Meta Platforms Incorporated’s continued publication and exposure of different advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market on Facebook and Instagram without making sure they are vetted and approved before exposure is illegal, unlawful, and a violation of the country’s current advertising laws.
According to ARCON, the Federal Government lost money as a result of Meta Platforms Incorporated’s prolonged exposure to unscreened advertisements.
Fadolapo told the newspaper that the Federal High Court in Abuja had authorised ARCON to serve Meta with a summons. The company’s corporate headquarters in the United States received service of the writ.
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He added that once Meta asserted that the company lacked a physical office in Nigeria, the choice to serve the company at its corporate headquarters became necessary.
The case will be heard in October because of the excessive level of antics taking place on Facebook, he said. But rest certain that we will cleanse that area using every lawful method.
“What we are arguing is that the depiction of our territorial territory for the Nigerian audience is offensive. We won’t attempt to control the media in the US; instead, we will control the media environment in Nigeria.
“They claimed they had no office in Nigeria, yet they were active there nonetheless. Consequently, we are more concerned about their business in Nigeria than we are with their office. The laws of Nigeria must be followed if you are conducting business there.
Remember that in October 2022, ARCON disclosed that it had filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, against Meta Platforms Incorporated and its representative AT3 Resources Limited.
