SERAP ,Adegboruwa Slam N100m Deformation Rulling, Say It Threaten Civic Space

By Victor Idajili

 Human rights group SERAP and senior lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa have criticised a Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment that ordered SERAP to pay ₦100 million in damages to two Department of State Services, DSS, officials over an alleged defamatory post.  

In a statement issued by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation described the ruling by Justice Yusuf Halilu as “seriously flawed” and a blow to free expression and civil society in Nigeria.  

The court also directed SERAP to publish a public apology, pay ₦1 million in legal costs, and add 10% annual interest on the damages until the full amount is paid. The suit, marked FCT/HC/CV/4547/24, was filed by DSS officials Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele.  

Adegboruwa, who represented SERAP alongside SAN Tayo Oyetibo, said the judgment ignored key legal arguments. He questioned whether the DSS or SSS is the correct legal name of the agency, and whether public officers can sue for defamation on behalf of their institution for actions done in the line of duty.  

He also pointed out that the plaintiffs admitted they were still under investigation by their employers, yet the court still found SERAP liable without clearly identifying who was defamed.  

“The ₦100 million award is excessive and unjustified,” Adegboruwa said. “Public officers who didn’t even disclose their ranks or salaries have been awarded ₦100 million as if it’s a bazaar. How much do they even earn monthly?”  

He further faulted the 10% interest imposed on the damages, saying it was awarded without any contractual basis or proof from the plaintiffs.  

SERAP said the ruling sets a dangerous precedent and could be used to silence civil society groups and activists. “This is a textbook SLAPP suit — a strategic lawsuit meant to intimidate and suppress public participation,” Oluwadare said. “The Tinubu government is misusing both the DSS and the courts to target critics instead of addressing the corruption allegations we raised against the NNPCL.”  

The group has instructed its lawyers to appeal immediately.  

The case stems from a September 2024 SERAP post on X, where it alleged that DSS officials entered its Abuja office unlawfully after it called on President Tinubu to investigate corruption in the NNPCL and reverse the petrol price hike. SERAP maintains that its statement was directed at the DSS as an institution, not at the individual officers, and that the visit was an act of harassment that intimidated its staff.