SERAP urges Zuckerberg, Meta to pay $220m fine, compensate Nigerian victims

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms, Mark Zuckerberg, to immediately comply with the $220 million fine imposed by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.

SERAP in a letter signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged Zuckerberg and Meta to not only settle the fine but also provide full compensation and effective remedies to Nigerian consumers harmed by Meta’s violations of data protection, consumer rights, and privacy laws.

According to SERAP, Meta’s actions are inconsistent with global human rights obligations, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The organization emphasized that Meta has a responsibility to respect, protect, and uphold human rights, prevent future violations, and ensure data privacy and security.

The statement reads, “Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Meta Platforms Incorporated (Facebook) to “immediately pay the $220 million fine imposed on Meta by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and upheld by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.

“SERAP urged Mr. Zuckerberg and Meta “to provide (in addition to the fine) justice and effective remedies, including adequate compensation and guarantees of non-repetition for the victims of the grave violations of Nigerian consumer, data protection and privacy laws and international human rights standards.”

“SERAP also urged Mr. Zuckerberg and Meta to immediately pay the $35,000 awarded by the Tribunal to the FCCPC as cost of investigation.”

“SERAP urged Mr. Zuckerberg and Meta to “immediately halt the violations found by the Tribunal and prevent their re-occurrence, as well as ensure the accountability of any person(s) responsible for the violations.”

“Last Friday the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal upheld the $220 million fine against Meta by Nigeria’s FCCPC for the grave violations of consumer, data protection and privacy laws.

“In the letter dated 26 April 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “As Chairman and CEO, you ought to ensure enhanced transparency, human rights due diligence, accountability and remediation by Meta to ensure that Nigerians’ human rights are not threatened or violated.”