In 2022, at the peak of Soko Lending Company’s incessant derogatory and privacy-invading messages to the contacts of their customers. When a series of similar text messages were sent to Olumide Babalola, he approached the High Court of Lagos State in Suit No. LD/13031MFHR/2022 seeking a declaration that the offensive unsolicited text messages and WhatsApp messages interfered with his right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution as well as a breach of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019.
On the 23rd day of January 2023, Justice E.O. Ashade delivered judgment in the case when his lordship granted damages in the sum of Five Million Naira against Soko Lending Company – a digital lending company for invasion of privacy and breach of the provisions of Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019. It will be recalled that in 2021, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) had earlier fined Soko Lending Company N10,000,000 for their privacy-invading business activities and loan recovery procedures.
Read Judgment below: