The Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikorodu has ordered X, formerly known as Twitter, to disclose the identity of a user accused of manipulating and republishing a birthday post belonging to Nigerian law graduate, Esther Agboola.

The court also awarded N20 million in damages against the unidentified user and imposed a conditional N50 million penalty on X Corp if it fails to comply with the disclosure order.

In a judgment delivered on June 5, 2026, Justice Adeniyi Pokanu held that the alleged unauthorised manipulation and republication of Agboola’s post violated her constitutional right to privacy.

Agboola, through her X account, @agirlnamed_esth, had shared photographs on January 9, 2026, to mark her 25th birthday with the caption, “Chapter 25. Happy Birthday to me!”

She told the court that an anonymous X user, @_AbiolaPharays, retrieved an earlier birthday post she had made in January 2025 and altered its timestamp, allegedly creating a false impression about when the post was originally published.

Justice Pokanu held that X Corp, as the platform’s owner and operator, had access to information and activity logs capable of identifying the anonymous account.

The judge therefore ordered the company to file an affidavit disclosing the identity of the account holder.

The court awarded Agboola N20 million in general damages for what it described as the mental anguish, emotional distress, harassment, reputational injury and humiliation allegedly caused by the user’s actions.

It further ordered X Corp to pay N50 million if it fails, refuses or neglects to comply with the order to disclose the user’s identity.

The case highlights the legal responsibilities of social media platforms in protecting users’ privacy and responding to court orders involving anonymous accounts.