High Court awards ₦20 million damages to Nigerian student Esther Agboola and directs X Corp to disclose the identity of an anonymous account over an allegedly manipulated birthday post
The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikorodu, on Tuesday, ordered X Corp, the parent company of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to disclose the identity of an anonymous user accused of manipulating a birthday post belonging to Nigerian student Esther Agboola, ruling that the alleged act violated her constitutional right to privacy.
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Justice Adeniyi Pokanu, who presided over the case, directed X Corp to file an affidavit revealing the identity and location of the operator of the account @boutmoney112 within 14 days of being served with the enrolled court order.
The ruling followed a fundamental rights application filed by Agboola after an X user allegedly altered one of her earlier birthday posts, triggering widespread ridicule and online harassment.
According to court documents, Agboola, using the X handle @agirlnamed_esth, published photographs on January 9, 2026, with the caption, “Chapter 25. Happy Birthday to me!” to celebrate her 25th birthday.
The applicant told the court that the anonymous user retrieved an earlier birthday post she had shared in January 2025 to mark her 24th birthday and manipulated the timestamp, making it appear as though it had been published in January 2022.
Agboola argued that the altered post created a misleading impression about her age, exposing her to cyberbullying, public ridicule, harassment, reputational damage and emotional distress.
In his judgment, Justice Pokanu held that the unauthorised manipulation of the post constituted a violation of Agboola’s right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The court further ruled that X Corp possesses the technical records and platform activity logs capable of identifying the operator of the anonymous account.
Justice Pokanu consequently ordered the company to provide the user’s full name, contact information, means of identification and any other relevant details available in its records.
In reaching the decision, the judge referenced an earlier ruling by a Dutch court, which compelled a social media platform to reveal the identity of an anonymous user in comparable circumstances.
The court also awarded ₦20 million in general damages against the unidentified operator of @boutmoney112, citing the mental anguish, emotional distress, harassment, humiliation and reputational injury suffered by Agboola.
In addition, Justice Pokanu imposed a ₦50 million general damages award against X Corp, which will become enforceable if the company fails to comply with the disclosure order.
The case highlights the growing legal scrutiny of anonymous online activity in Nigeria, particularly where social media platforms are alleged to possess information capable of identifying users involved in harmful digital conduct.
It also reflects an increasing willingness by Nigerian courts to balance constitutional rights to privacy and reputation with the operation of global technology platforms.
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If X Corp complies with the order, the decision could set an important precedent for future cases involving anonymous accounts, cyberbullying and the responsibility of social media companies to assist in identifying users accused of unlawful online conduct.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
