A 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 Department of State Services (DSS) operatives over alleged defamatory publications.
Justice Halilu Yusuf also directed SERAP to publish public apologies to the affected officers, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, across two national newspapers, two television stations, as well as on its website and official X (Twitter) handle.
In addition, the court awarded ₦1 million as cost of litigation and imposed a 10 per cent annual post-judgment interest on the sum until it is fully paid.
The judgment was delivered in a ₦5.5 billion defamation suit filed by the DSS officers, who claimed SERAP falsely portrayed them as having unlawfully invaded its Abuja office and harassed staff in September 2024.
According to the claimants, SERAP had published statements on its website and social media accusing DSS operatives of storming its office with “sinister motives.” They argued that although their names were not directly mentioned, the descriptions used clearly referred to them.
The DSS officials told the court that they had visited SERAP’s office on official duty to invite its leadership for a meeting, but were instead portrayed as having conducted an unlawful invasion. They said the publications damaged both their personal reputation and that of the agency.
Their counsel, Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde, urged the court to grant all reliefs sought, insisting that the defamatory content was clearly linked to the two officers.
However, SERAP, through its legal team led by Victoria Bassey, asked the court to dismiss the suit, arguing that the claimants failed to prove they were specifically identified in the publications. The defence maintained that general references to “DSS officials” could not be tied to individuals without proper evidence.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yusuf held that SERAP’s publications were defamatory and not supported by sufficient justification. He ruled that the organisation, which advocates transparency and accountability, failed to verify its claims before publication.
The court also ordered SERAP to publish apologies across multiple media platforms and comply with the financial penalties, including ₦1 million cost of action and accruing interest.
The suit stemmed from a September 2024 incident in which DSS operatives visited SERAP’s Abuja office. While SERAP described the visit as an unlawful intrusion, the DSS maintained it was a routine official engagement.
With the ruling, the court concluded that SERAP’s publications had unjustly harmed the reputations of the two officers.
