SERAP Appeals N100m Defamation Ruling Against DSS

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed an appeal on May 8, 2024, seeking to reverse a N100 million defamation judgment awarded to two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele. The judgment, delivered on May 5, 2024, by Justice Yusuf Halilu, directed SERAP to publish a public apology and pay N1 million in litigation costs, along with 10 percent annual post-judgment interest until the sum is fully settled.

SERAP's Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, described the judgment as a travesty and a miscarriage of justice, asserting that it was based on fundamental legal errors affecting the court's jurisdiction. SERAP contends that the trial court relied on defective evidence, including witness statements that were allegedly not sworn before a commissioner for oaths.

The organization also argued that the suit was improperly initiated against SERAP, which is a non-juristic entity, and that the DSS itself acknowledged public complaints directed at them, not individuals.