A woman based in Ibadan, Abiodun Olokunjuwon, has instituted a suit against Moniepoint Microfinance Bank Ltd before the High Court of Oyo State, Ibadan Judicial Division, alleging breach of her right to privacy through the unauthorised opening of bank accounts in her name.

The suit, marked M1W/014/2026 and filed on February 11, 2026, centres on claims that the bank opened and operated two accounts on its platform using her National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) without her knowledge, consent or authorisation.

According to the court documents, Olokunjuwon alleged that the accounts were created without proper verification or security checks, thereby exposing her personal data to misuse. She contended that the alleged actions of the bank resulted in significant hardship, as transactions reportedly carried out through the disputed accounts led to restrictions being placed on her legitimate bank accounts by a third party.

The claimant is asking the court to declare that the opening and operation of the accounts constitute a gross violation of her right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

She further prayed the court to hold that the processing of her personal data, including her NIN and BVN, for the purpose of opening the accounts was unlawful and unauthorised, in breach of Sections 24(1)(a), (e) and (f), and 24(3) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, as well as Article 32(1) of the NDPA General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025.

Among the reliefs sought, Olokunjuwon is requesting an order directing the bank to immediately and permanently close the two accounts and delete all her personal data, including her NIN, BVN and phone number, associated with the accounts from its records.

She is also seeking general damages of N50 million for what she described as the unlawful and unauthorised processing of her personal data and the breach of her constitutional right to privacy and data protection. In addition, she is asking for N500,000 as the cost of the action

When The Guardian contacted Moniepoint, an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the company has not been served any documents by the court.

“We have seen the complaints in the media, but our legal team said we have not been served any documents from the court,” the official said. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)

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