In a landmark judgment underscoring the sanctity of data protection and customer transparency, the High Court of Lagos State has ordered Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) to pay ₦5 million in general damages for issuing conflicting account statements and violating provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023.
The case, Rebecca Bonje v. Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (Suit No: LD/18590MFHR/2024), filed by the law firm Olumide Babalola LP, exposed serious lapses in GTBank’s data management and customer accountability practices.
According to court documents, the applicant, Rebecca Bonje, accused GTBank of issuing two contradictory statements of account, arbitrarily removing transaction entries, and refusing to correct the discrepancies despite multiple written requests.
In her suit, Bonje contended that the bank’s actions were unfair, non-transparent, and in breach of Section 24(1)(e) of the NDPA, which mandates data controllers to ensure fairness and accuracy in the handling of personal data.
She also argued that GTBank violated her right to rectification of personal data under Section 34(1)(c) and that the unexplained deletion of transaction records constituted a data breach contrary to Section 65 of the Act.
Delivering judgment on September 18, 2025, Justice O.A. Oresanya found GTBank liable for breaching its statutory obligations regarding the integrity and handling of the customer’s personal financial data.
The court held that the bank’s conduct amounted to a clear violation of Bonje’s rights under the NDPA and her constitutional right to privacy, awarding ₦5,000,000 in general damages in her favour.
Justice Oresanya further granted all four declaratory reliefs sought by the applicant, affirming that GTBank’s issuance of inconsistent statements and failure to rectify them not only breached the NDPA but also represented a gross disregard for customer data protection and transparency standards.
The judgment has been widely viewed as a wake-up call to financial institutions on the imperative of data accuracy, transparency, and compliance with Nigeria’s emerging data protection framework.
Credit: SaharaReporters except headline
