The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria filed an N30 billion lawsuit alleging illegal advertisement against Meta Platforms Incorporated (owner of the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms) and its agent, AT3 Resources Limited, but the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the case.
In response to a notice of discontinuance submitted by the plaintiff’s attorney, Barrister Micheal Okorie, Justice Peter Lifu dismissed ARCON’s complaint with the suit number. FHC/ABJ/CS/1701/2022.
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Reason for the lawsuit
The Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, is the venue for a lawsuit the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria brought against Meta Platforms Incorporated, which owns the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms, and its agent AT3 Resources Limited.
In a statement, the regulatory body for Nigeria’s advertising ecosystem said that ARCON is asking for a declaration that, among other things, Meta Platforms Incorporated is breaking Nigeria’s current advertising laws and that it is illegal for the company to continue publishing and exposing various advertisements aimed at the Nigerian market on Facebook and Instagram without first making sure that the ads have been thoroughly reviewed and approved.
ARCON said that the Federal Government had suffered financial losses because Meta was constantly exposed to unapproved adverts. Consequently, because of Meta’s ongoing exposure to prohibited advertisements on its platforms, ARCON requested sanctions against both Meta and AT3 for allegedly infringing advertising laws.
“ARCON reiterates that it would not permit unethical and irresponsible advertising on Nigeria’s advertising space,” the statement said in part.
Olalekan Fadolapo, the director-general of ARCON, said that multiple attempts to get the corporation to the negotiating table failed, which is why it became imperative to take legal action.
“ARCON wrote to some owners of online platforms, proposing a meeting to settle on the legal framework and advertising procedure for online platforms,” he stated.
“Meta did not show up for the meeting or recognise it. We were promised a formal response after a follow-up call, but that never happened.
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Nigeria’s government withdraw lawsuit
On Friday, when the case was returned to order, Okorie informed Justice Lifu that he had submitted a notice of discontinuance.
“Take notice that the claimant hereby discontinues this suit against the defendants,” the notice states.
In accordance with ARCON’s request, Justice Peter Lifu “struck out” the case after Okorie’s plea.
Formerly known as Facebook Inc., Meta is a global social technology business with many products like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.