THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has responded to the N5.5 billion alleged defamation suit brought against it by the State Security Service (SSS) also known as DSS.
Reacting to the suit, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, in a chat with The ICIR on Friday, October 18, confirmed the receipt of the court papers by his organisation.
He described the accusation against SERAP as baseless and promised to challenge it in court.
“We reject the baseless defamation lawsuit brought against us by the DSS. We’re talking to our lawyers and will be filing our counterclaims against the DSS.
“We’ll see in court to stop this harassment, intimidation, and attack on the rights of Nigerians,” Oludare stated.
The suit, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has SERAP and Oluwadare as defendants.
In the suit, the secret police are claiming N5.5 billion from SERAP as damages for allegedly making false claims that officials of the agency invaded its Abuja office.
The suit was filed in the names of two of its officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele.
In the suit, marked CV/4547/2024 and filed on October 17, 2024, by Akinlolu Kehinde, a senior advocate, the agency stated, among others, that the alleged false claim by SERAP negatively affected its reputation and those of the officials involved.
According to the SSS statement of claim, it sent two officials, John and Ogunleye, to visit the SERAP office on September 9 to invite its new leadership to a familiarisation meeting as part of its policy to build rapport with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the FCT.
The claimants stated the officials met a lady called Ruth at the SERAP office who offered a phone number and pledged to notify her organisation’s management about the visit. They also claimed that their conversations with Ruth were recorded.
They said it was surprising that SERAP claimed that SSS officers had occupied its office illegally in a post on its X (Twitter) profile, @SERAPNigeria, shortly after the visit.
“On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outfits, falsely alleging that some officers from the DSS, described as a tall, large, dark-skinned woman and a slim, dark-skinned man, invaded their Abuja office and interrogated the staff of the first defendant.
The SSS stated that due to the statements published by the defendants, it was ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as Amnesty International and prominent Nigerians, such as Femi Falana, a senior advocate.
The claimants further stated that the defendant’s remarks damaged their reputation because they had been subjected to mockery and contempt as a result of SERAP’s claim.
The claimants are asking the court for an order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via the first defendant’s (SERAP’s) website X (Twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard), and two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television).
They are also asking for “Interest on the sum of N5 billion at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realised or liquidated and “an order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”
The case has been assigned to Yusuf Halilu of Court 13 of the High Court of the FCT but no date has been scheduled for hearing.
The ICIR reported that SERAP, on its X handle on Monday, September 9, said operatives of SSS unlawfully occupied its building, demanding to see its directors.
Reacting to the claim, the SSS said the narrative portrayed by SERAP was ‘inaccurate’ and ‘misleading,’ adding that it operated within the framework of the law.
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 10, the SSS explained that its presence at SERAP’s office was part of its routine investigation.
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