October 18, (THEWILL) – The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a N5.5 billion defamation suit against the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for allegedly “making false claims” that officials of the agency invaded its Abuja office.
Filed in the names of two officials—Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, the DSS stated, among other things, that the alleged false claims by SERAP have negatively impacted its reputation and that of the two officials involved.
Marked CV/4547/2024, the suit, filed on October 17 by the DSS’ legal team, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has SERAP and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, listed as defendants.
The claimants stated in their statement of claim that, in line with its practice of engaging with officials of non-governmental organisations operating in the FCT to establish a relationship with their new leadership, it directed the two officials—John and Ogunleye—to visit SERAP’s office and invite its new leadership for a familiarisation meeting.
They added that in carrying out the directive, John and Ogunleye paid a friendly visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja, on September 9 and met with one Ruth, who, upon being informed about the purpose of the visit, claimed that none of SERAP’s management staff was in the country and advised that a formal letter of invitation be written by the DSS.
The claimants, who noted that their interactions with Ruth were recorded, said that before they exited SERAP’s office, Ruth promised to inform her organisation’s management about the visit and volunteered a phone number—08160537202.
They expressed surprise that shortly after their visit, SERAP posted on its X (Twitter) handle, @SERAPNigeria, claiming that DSS officers were unlawfully occupying its office.
The claimants added, “On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outlets, falsely alleging that some DSS officers, 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 defendants further urged the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, to direct the DSS to end its intimidation, harassment, and attacks against SERAP and to stop any threats of arrest against its directors.
They contended that due to the defendants’ false statements, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies, such as Amnesty International, and prominent members of Nigerian society, including Femi Falana (SAN). They also claimed that the public and the international community now believe that the Federal Government is using the DSS to harass the defendants.
Furthermore, the claimants said the statements harmed their reputation because DSS staff and management now believe they did not follow orders and carried out an unauthorised operation, thus appearing incompetent and unprofessional.
They added that the defendants’ statements caused further harm by leading DSS staff to believe that the ridicule and criticism directed at the agency resulted from the claimants’ actions.
The claimants noted that, due to the defendants’ false statements, they are now the subject of an ongoing investigation by the DSS, have been required to make statements, subjected to interrogations, and faced a disciplinary panel. They are currently suspended from the DSS pending the outcome of the investigation.
The claimants are, therefore, seeking the following reliefs: “An order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via SERAP’s website, X (Twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard), and two national television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading SERAP’s office and interrogating its staff.
“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants N5 billion as damages for the libellous statements published about them.; Interest on the N5 billion at the rate of 10 percent per annum from the date of judgement until the sum is realised or liquidated.
“An order directing the defendants to pay N50 million as the cost of the action.”
Although, the case has been assigned to Justice Yusuf Halilu of Court 13 of the High Court of the FCT, no date has been fixed for hearing.
