Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched a probe against TikTok and Truecaller for suspected data breaches, which it says demonstrates its commitment to upholding the country’s Data Protection Act.

Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and CEO of the NDPC, underlined his organization's priority on ensuring Nigerian regulatory compliance during a press conference last week in Abuja.

Olatunji stated that while only 4% of organisations initially followed these laws, recent initiatives have boosted compliance rates to more over 55%.

“As we speak, we have even gone to the extent of investigating multinationals. We are currently investigating TikTok and Truecaller in the area of data privacy,” he said.

He noted that the NDPC prefers a remediation approach rather than imposing immediate sanctions for data breaches.

“This approach assesses the severity of violations and their impact on individuals and the economy. Companies found in breach are given specific corrective measures and are monitored for compliance over six months to a year,” he stated.

In addition to the investigations, the NDPC issued a directive, which provides detailed guidance for data controllers and processors.

Olatunji stated that approach enables more than 230 million Nigerians to actively participate in upholding data privacy regulations.

The NDPC intends to fully implement the directive by September 2025, with a transition period for organisations and fee provisions beginning January 2026.

The commission will continue to give guidance and training to promote data privacy in Nigeria, it said.

Following the probe announcement, TikTok said that it is willing to collaborate with the commission to demonstrate its commitment to data protection.