Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., has issued a warning that it would have to shut down the two social media sites in Nigeria due to significant regulatory fines and what it called “unrealistic” requests from the government.
The warning comes after a failed legal challenge to penalties that Nigerian authorities insist must be paid by the end of June 2025, according to court records examined by the BBC on Friday.
In a court document obtained by the BBC, the tech giant issued the warning.
Also In a July 2024 statement that PUNCH Online was able to receive, the FCCPC accused Meta of violating regional consumer and data protection laws by sharing data on Facebook and WhatsApp.
According to reports, the case was the result of a 38-month joint investigation of WhatsApp and Meta’s consumer data regulations and privacy practices by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the FCCPC.
Adamu Abdullahi, the commission’s acting executive chairman, claimed that Meta had abused its market dominance, exchanged data without permission, and denied Nigerian users access to their personal information.
Meta, however, stated that it will contest the fine.
The FCCPC fined Meta $220 million, which the rivalry and consumer protection tribunal upheld on April 25.
The business was given until the final day of June by the court to abide with the directives.
According to British media, Meta’s appeal against the fines was denied by the Federal High Court in Abuja in April 2025, which upheld the payment deadline.
According to court filings, “if the applicant doesn’t comply, they may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures.”
Meta may need to “effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the BBC said on Friday.
Despite owning WhatsApp as well, Meta left the instant messaging service out of its court petition.
According to the paper, Meta’s main complaint is with the NDPC, which it claims is misinterpreting Nigeria’s data protection regulations.
In its papers, Meta contended that it is impossible and inconsistent with Nigeria’s data protection regulations to comply with the NDPC’s requirements, specifically the need for prior clearance of any cross-border transfers of personal data.
Additionally, Meta was ordered by the NDPC to include an icon on its platforms that links to government-approved educational videos about the dangers of manipulative data practices. The business deemed this requirement to be impractical.
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) penalized Meta $37.5 million for unapproved advertising, while the NDPC claimed the business had broken data protection regulations and fined it $32.8 million.
According to the BBC, the commission demanded that Meta obtain prior consent before sending the data of Nigerian customers overseas, a requirement that the business deemed “unrealistic.”
Additionally, Meta was instructed by the NDPC to create and post instructional materials about data privacy threats on its platforms using a certain icon.
The videos should address issues of unfair and manipulative data processing and are anticipated to be produced in partnership with nonprofit organizations and government-approved institutions.
The article claimed that Meta resisted, calling the terms “unworkable” and claiming that the agency had misunderstood the nation’s data regulations.
According to the FCCPC, the fines were the consequence of investigations conducted in cooperation with the NDPC between May 2021 and December 2023.
Meta has not yet announced its next move to the public.
Also investigations revealed “invasive practices” against consumers, according to FCCPC Chief Adamu Abdullahi, but he provided no details. The goal of the NDPC’s video campaign is to inform viewers about the financial and health hazards associated with data.
With millions of users depending on it for news, commerce, and conversation, Facebook continues to be the most popular social media network in Nigeria. Because small businesses, in particular, use the platform for customer engagement and marketing, a possible shutdown would be extremely concerning for the nation’s digital economy.
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