A federal high court in Lagos has dismissed a case against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regarding its directive for banks to collect and verify customers' social media handles as part of the know-your-customer (KYC) requirements.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba struck out a suit filed by lawyer Chris Eke, who claimed the regulation in section 6(a)(iv) of the CBN (Customer Due Diligence) Regulations, 2023, was unconstitutional.

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Eke had also sought an injunction to prevent the CBN from enforcing this regulation. However, the CBN responded with a preliminary objection, challenging the suit's validity and denying any interference with privacy rights.

Justice Dimgba ruled that the CBN's directive is reasonable, equating social media handles to email addresses and phone numbers, and does not violate privacy rights. He added that social media accounts are inherently public, and those uncomfortable with the requirement can choose banks that do not ask for this information.

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