Lagos court sanctions X, user N70m for defaming law graduate

A Lagos court has ordered X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to identify a user accused of manipulating a Nigerian law graduate's birthday post. The judgment, delivered on June 5, 2026, by Justice Adeniyi Pokanu of the Lagos High Court in Ikorodu, found that the unauthorized alteration and republication of Esther Agboola's post violated her right to privacy under Nigeria's 1999 Constitution.

Agboola had shared photos celebrating her 25th birthday on January 9, 2026. She informed the court that an anonymous X user, @_AbiolaPharays, had taken her January 2025 birthday post (celebrating her 24th birthday) and altered its timestamp. This manipulation created a false impression about when the post was originally published, misleading the public.

“

General damages in the sum of N20,000,000.00 against the first respondent for the mental anguish, emotional distress, harassment, reputational injury, and humiliation suffered by the applicant as a direct result of the unlawful acts of the 1st Respondent.

Justice Pokanu ruled that X Corp, as the platform's owner, possesses the necessary information, including activity logs, to identify the anonymous account. Consequently, the company was ordered to file an affidavit disclosing the user's identity. The court awarded Agboola N20 million in general damages against the unidentified user for the mental anguish, emotional distress, reputational injury, and humiliation she suffered. Additionally, X Corp was ordered to pay N50 million in conditional damages if it fails to comply with the court's directive to reveal the account holder's identity.

“

General damages in the sum of N50,000,000.00 against the second respondent, payable conditionally where the second respondent fails, omits, or refuses to file the affidavit of disclosure as mandated by this judgment.