Nollywood actress Adunni Ade has secured a ₦20 million judgment in her privacy lawsuit against an online media platform that falsely linked her to former senator Dino Melaye.
Delivering judgment in case number LD/17781MFHR/2024, Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos High Court held that the publication breached the actress’s constitutional right to privacy and protection of personal data.
The contentious article, published in January 2023 and titled “Six Popular Nigerian Actresses Who Have Been Accused of Dating Dino Melaye,” had listed Adunni Ade among those allegedly involved with the politician.
The actress maintained that the story was false, misleading, and injurious to her reputation, amounting to an invasion of privacy under Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
The defendants argued that Adunni Ade had posted personal photos publicly and that her suit was filed too late. The court, however, dismissed those claims, stressing that unauthorized use of a person’s name or image can still amount to a violation of privacy.
Justice Harrison further ruled that the publication portrayed the actress in a “false light,” a developing area of privacy law in Nigeria, and ordered the defendants to delete her name and image from the story while awarding ₦20 million in general damages.
Legal analysts have described the verdict as a landmark decision for privacy and defamation law in Nigeria, noting its recognition of “false light” as a distinct tort.
In recent statements, Adunni Ade has condemned the spread of fabricated stories and reaffirmed her commitment to holding media outlets accountable for online defamation.
