SERAP Rejects N5 Billion Def InvasionThe Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has vehemently rejected a defamation lawsuit filed against it by the Department of State Services (DSS), following what it describes as an unlawful invasion of its Abuja office.
The civil society organization, which has been at the forefront of advocating for accountability and human rights, made its stance known through a post on its official X handle (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
In the statement, SERAP asserted, “We reject the baseless defamation lawsuit brought against us by the DSS, following the invasion of our Abuja office.
We’re talking to our lawyers and will be filing our counter-claims. We’ll see in court to stop this intimidation and attack on the rights of Nigerians.”
The lawsuit, filed by the DSS in the names of two of its officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, comes after SERAP claimed that DSS operatives had invaded its Abuja office.
The DSS has strongly denied these claims, insisting that its actions were merely in line with routine visits to non-governmental organizations for familiarization purposes.
According to the DSS, it had asked two officers to visit the SERAP office to build a relationship with the organization’s new leadership.
The suit was filed on October 17 at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by a team of DSS lawyers, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Akinlolu Kehinde.
In the legal filing, the DSS contended that SERAP’s accusations had damaged the reputation of the agency and its officials.
The agency is seeking a court order that would compel SERAP and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, to issue a public apology.
Specifically, the DSS is demanding that SERAP publishes an apology on its website and X handle.
Furthermore, the apology should be published in two national newspapers—The Punch and Vanguard—and broadcasted on two national television stations, Arise Television and Channels Television.
In addition to the apology, the DSS is seeking N5 billion in damages for what it describes as “libellous statements” made against the service and its officials.
The alleged invasion, which sparked this legal confrontation, was initially reported on September 9, 2024.
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