Abuja Court to Rule on DSS N5.5bn Defamation Case

The Abuja High Court, presided over by Justice Halilu Yusuf, has scheduled a judgment delivery date for May 5 in a N5.5 billion defamation suit filed by two officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundel, against the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The suit, marked CV 4547/2024, stems from allegations that SERAP published false claims regarding the claimants, including an incident on September 9, 2024, where it was alleged that John and Ogundel unlawfully invaded SERAP's Abuja office.

The DSS's counsel, Kolawol Oluwadar, argued for the relief sought, while SERAP's counsel, Victoria Bassei, requested the court to dismiss the suit, stating that the claimants failed to establish the defamation claims. The court will communicate the judgment outcome to the parties involved once it is ready.