A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered GTCO to stop sending Fund 724 marketing texts to a non-customer and disclose the data source under Nigeria’s NDPA.
GTCO is facing a data privacy ruling after a lawsuit by Abdulmalik Muhaimin Onimisi, who said he received unsolicited promotional texts about “Fund 724” from Guaranty Trust Fund Managers.
According to the judgment, delivered on June 11, 2026 by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, GTCO must “cease and desist” from sending the direct marketing messages to a person who is not its customer. Direct marketing means promotional messages sent to you, like SMS ads.
The court also directed the company to disclose the source of the applicant’s personal data. That includes whether any third-party data brokers were involved. A data broker is a business that collects and sells personal information, like phone numbers, to other companies.
The applicant’s lawyer argued that Onimisi had never provided his details to GTCO or its subsidiaries. After receiving the SMS on April 9, 2025, he emailed the bank asking for the data source, the legal basis for processing (the reason the law allows data use), and deletion of his data.
GTCO’s side argued there was a service issue because GTCO Plc is separate from Guaranty Trust Bank Ltd. The defence also said the applicant was not a GTBank customer and that GTBank had not sent any message to him.
This ruling raises the compliance bar for banks, asset managers, and fintechs that use SMS and other channels for customer acquisition.
It also reinforces a key NDPA expectation: if a company markets to you, it should be able to explain where your data came from and why it is allowed to use it. For operators, it is a reminder to audit marketing lists, vendor relationships, and consent records before campaigns go live.
Primary Source: Nairametrics
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