Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, has fixed February 19, 2026 for final arguments in the N5bn defamation suit filed by the Department of State Services against human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
The suit, marked FCT/HC/CV/4547/24, was filed by DSS officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele and has SERAP and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, as defendants.
The case stemmed from SERAP’s alarm of an alleged invasion of its office by the DSS.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the 2nd defendant, Deputy Director of SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, opened the organisation’s defence after the court granted a housekeeping application for amendment of process
Oluwadare, testifying as PW2, adopted his earlier statement on oath and provided further clarifications regarding SERAP’s work and the alleged invasion of its Abuja office.
He reaffirmed that SERAP is a registered non-governmental organisation dedicated to advancing transparency, accountability, and social justice in Nigeria.
He dismissed suggestions that the organisation exists solely to criticise the government, stressing that its mandate is to promote and protect human rights, including socio-economic rights, in the public interest.
Oluwadare told the court that harassment and intimidation of civic actors pose a serious threat to SERAP’s work, particularly its efforts to hold public institutions accountable.
He also confirmed that SERAP operates with support from both local and international donors.
Under cross-examination, Oluwadare maintained that DSS operatives were present at the organisation’s premises, prompting SERAP to issue public alerts.
He said multiple staff members—including a front-desk officer, a security guard, and another lawyer—reported the presence of the officials.
While acknowledging that no staff member was physically assaulted and no doors were broken, Oluwadare explained that the manner of entry and the presence of unmarked vehicles raised serious concerns, which informed SERAP’s public statements.
He further confirmed that the organisation possesses CCTV footage of the incident and insisted that the tweets issued reflected the seriousness of what staff observed that day.
After cross-examination, counsel for the claimant, Oluwagmileke Kehinde, informed the court that both parties had concluded trial and requested a date for filing and adoption of final written addresses.
