DOCTOR SUES AIRTEL NETWORK LIMITED FOR GIVING OUT HIS PERSONAL INFORMATION

A medical doctor with the name, Benjamin Oke, has dragged Airtel Network Nigeria Limited, before a Federal High Court sitted in Ibadan. He claimed that the company compromised his data which lead to the intrusion of his privacy and consequent loss of over seven hundred thousand naira.

His major allegation before the court is that the telecommunication company has compromised his information by giving a third party access to his data. He has asked the court to order the Nigeria Communication Company to revoke the certificate given to Airtel to operate in Nigeria and to rule that Airtel Network Company is liable in the way it handled his information. He also asked for a court order to delete his data from the Airtel Data Base.

In his Statement, Dr. Oke confirmed that the problem started in April 2018 when he went cut his SIM card at the Airtel office. Four months later, the SIM stopped working and he had to go back to the company where he was asked to submit an affidavit and identity cards among other particulars as proof of ownership of the card. According to his averments, the problem was rectified within minutes but some hours later; he discovered that over seven hundred thousand had been transferred from his bank account which caused him to report the case to the police.

Investigations by the police revealed that the fraud was allegedly masterminded by the consultant to the company in Lagos and he had confessed to the crime, adding that after deliberations, the consultant agreed to pay the money but Airtel refused to accept the blame for the fraud.

Dr Oke’s legal counsel, Mr. Diyan Oluseye, told the court that he is yet to receive any process from the telecommunication company and applied that judgment be given in the matter since there had not been any response from the company. In his response, counsel to the NCC, Oluwafemi Obama, said he had filed a statement of defense and requested a short adjournment to regularise his process.

Justice Ajoku adjourned the case till May 9, 2019 for further hearing.