DataPro warns companies of privateness lawsuit surge

Licensed Information Safety Compliance Organisation DataPro Restricted has projected a surge in particular person privateness claims and constitutional lawsuits in 2026, with organisations urged to stay “litigation prepared” by preserving information processing information and strengthening inside controls.

This was disclosed in a press release signed by Head of Rising Providers Ademikun Adeseyoju and made obtainable to The PidomNigeria on Tuesday, forward of the agency’s commemoration of its 2026 Privateness Week, themed ‘Privateness within the Age of Rising Applied sciences: Belief, Ethics, and Innovation’.

The PidomNigeria studies that Nigeria transitioned from the Nigeria Information Safety Regulation to the total statutory energy of the Nigeria Information Safety Act and the Basic Software and Implementation Directive in 2025. 2026 will mark the primary full yr of enforcement of the brand new legal guidelines.

DataPro stated, “The yr 2025 marked Nigeria’s definitive transition from guidelines-based compliance to a compulsory, enforcement-driven regime,” the corporate acknowledged, including that privateness compliance had change into “a core authorized and governance obligation relatively than a best-effort train.”

It famous that this shift was underscored by an “lively regulatory posture” from the Nigeria Information Safety Fee, which publicly named non-compliant entities, significantly within the monetary providers sector.

On the outlook for the yr, the agency stated, “Trying forward, DataPro predicts that 2026 shall be outlined by Board and Govt Possession. Privateness will not be an IT-only concern however a standing governance subject requiring common danger studies and devoted budgets. We additionally anticipate a surge in particular person claims and constitutional privateness actions, which means organisations should stay “litigation prepared” by preserving processing information and strengthening inside controls. Moreover, DataPro anticipates depth on Sector-Particular Enforcement, with the NDPC specializing in high-risk industries like Fintech, Healthcare, and so forth.”

Based on DataPro, the courts additionally performed a major function in reshaping the ecosystem in the course of the yr, with landmark rulings affirming privateness as a constitutionally protected proper.

“Judicial precedents in 2025 affirmed that transparency in private information dealing with is a constitutionally protected proper. Courts awarded important damages to information topics for privateness breaches, signalling that organisational dimension not shields towards accountability,” the agency stated.

It added that regulatory settlements involving multinational expertise companies had set larger requirements for behavioural promoting and information processing in Nigeria, reinforcing the message that world corporations had been equally topic to native information safety legal guidelines.

Regarding cybersecurity, DataPro stated 2025 witnessed an unprecedented surge in threats, with attackers shifting from purely technical exploits to identity-driven campaigns.

“Attackers shifted their focus from technical exploits to identity-driven campaigns, focusing on legitimate credentials with excessive precision,” the corporate stated. “This identity-centric risk setting has made sturdy entry administration a non-negotiable requirement for company resilience.”

As a part of efforts to organize organisations for the yr forward, DataPro introduced actions lined up for its 2026 Privateness Week, together with the publication of its Privateness Pulse report, a compliance-focused webinar, interactive cyber response quizzes, and social media engagements aimed toward demystifying complicated privateness points.

“This week-long observance serves as an inflection level for analysing the tectonic shifts in Nigeria’s information safety panorama whereas making ready organisations for the rigorous calls for of the approaching yr,” the corporate acknowledged.