Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory
High Court in Abuja has ordered the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project (SERAP) to pay ?100 million in damages over defamatory claims made
against two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Delivering judgment, the court ruled in favour of the
DSS officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, who had filed a lawsuit
accusing SERAP of falsely alleging that they invaded the organisation’s Abuja
office on September 9, 2024.
As part of the ruling, the court directed SERAP to
issue a public apology to the two operatives. The apology is to be published in
two national newspapers and aired on two television stations.
In addition to the ?100 million damages, the court
awarded ?1 million as litigation costs and imposed a 10 percent interest on the
total sum until it is fully paid.
The case stemmed from statements made by SERAP on its
X (formerly Twitter) account, where the organisation alleged that officers of
the State Security Service unlawfully occupied its office and demanded to see
its directors. The group also called on Bola Tinubu to intervene, describing
the incident as harassment and an attack on citizens’ rights.
The court, however, found the claims to be false and
damaging, leading to the ruling in favour of the DSS operatives.
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