The Court of Appeal in Abuja will on Friday commence hearing an appeal by the Incorporated Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, against a N101 million judgment entered against the organisation and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
Justice Halilu Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory had, in a May 5 judgment, held SERAP and Oluwadare liable for defaming two officials of the Department of State Services, DSS, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, over publications made on SERAP’s website and social media platforms.
The DSS officials had challenged claims that they invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024, and subjected its officials to harassment.
Justice Yusuf ruled that the claimants had produced sufficient evidence to establish defamation and rejected SERAP’s defence of justification.
The judge particularly faulted the use of expressions such as “invasion”, “forceful entry” and “harassment”, noting that the defendants admitted during the trial that the DSS officials neither forced their way into the premises nor brandished weapons.
Justice Yusuf held that the publications had damaged the claimants’ professional reputations and dismissed SERAP’s objection to the competence of the suit.
He further ruled that the claimants did not have to be expressly named in the publications for a defamation claim to succeed.
The court awarded N100 million in damages and N1 million in litigation costs, while ordering SERAP and Oluwadare to issue public apologies on SERAP’s website and X handle, as well as in two national newspapers and on two television stations.
The judgment sum is also to attract interest at 10 percent annually from the date of judgment until full payment.
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Editor: Ada Ononye
