Court gavel
Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has ordered the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to pay ₦100 million in damages to two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over defamatory publications.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yusuf Halilu also directed SERAP to issue public apologies to the officers, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, in two national newspapers, two television stations, as well as on its website and X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The court further awarded ₦1 million as litigation costs and imposed a 10 per cent annual post-judgment interest on the total sum until it is fully paid.
The ruling stemmed from a ₦5.5 billion defamation suit filed by the DSS operatives against SERAP over allegations that they unlawfully invaded the organisation’s Abuja office in September 2024.
Justice Halilu held that SERAP’s claims, published on its website and social media platforms, were untrue and made in bad taste, particularly for an organisation advocating transparency and accountability.
The claimants, John and Ogundele, argued that the publication portrayed them as acting with “sinister motives” and damaged both their personal reputations and that of the DSS.
They maintained that their visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja, was part of a routine engagement to invite the organisation’s leadership for a familiarisation meeting.
According to them, the situation escalated after SERAP posted on its X handle, @SERAPNigeria, alleging that DSS officers were unlawfully occupying its office and interrogating staff.
They further stated that “due to the false statements published by the defendants, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as Amnesty International and prominent members of Nigerian society, such as Femi Falana (SAN).”
In its defence, SERAP argued that it never mentioned the claimants by name and insisted that the term “DSS officials” required the plaintiffs to prove they were the individuals referred to, but the court ultimately ruled in favour of the DSS operatives.
