NGO Sues Skipper Eye-Q Clinic For Alleged Data Privacy Breaches, Says Clinic Broke Law By Not Informing Patients Of Data Collection

A non-governmental organization, the Incorporated Trustees of Personal Data Protection Awareness Initiative, has filed a lawsuit against Skipper Eye-Q Nigeria Limited for alleged violations of Nigeria’s data privacy laws.

In court documents filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, the NGO claims the eye clinic failed to provide privacy notices regarding the collection and use of the patient’s personal data. This includes the use of CCTV cameras at the clinic’s office on Udoma Street in Asokoro , the patient intake forms that patients are made to fill out, and its website .

The Claimant states that this lack of transparency on what the data would be used for , failure to outline the duration it would be retained, how it would be safeguarded, and whether any third parties have access to it, cast doubt on the clinic’s data protection practices

Additionally, the NGO accuses Skipper Eye-Q of not conducting mandatory data protection impact assessments on some of its high-risk data processing activities as required by Nigeria’s Data Protection Act 2023.

Through its legal counsel, E. I. Okani & Associates, the NGO argues that these alleged breaches are an infraction of statutory obligations to protect patient privacy under NDPA.

As relief, the lawsuit seeks declarations that Skipper Eye-Q’s actions violate data privacy laws, an order compelling the clinic to comply with all data protection requirements, damages, and related litigation costs.