By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, ABUJA

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, on Monday, slated February 19, 2026, for the adoption of the final written address in a N5 billion defamation suit that was slammed against the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, by two officials of the Department of State Services, DSS.

Justice Yusuf Halilu okayed the matter for adoption after the 2nd defendant, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, who is the Deputy Director of SERAP, closed his defence.

Testifying before the court, Oluwadare, who adopted his statement on oath, clarified the organisation’s work as well as events surrounding the alleged invasion of its Abuja office by the DSS operatives.

He told the court that SERAP is a registered non-governmental organisation dedicated to advancing transparency, accountability, and social justice in the country.

Dismissing suggestions that the organisation exists only to criticise the government, the 2nd defendant insisted that SERAP’s mandate is to promote and protect human rights, including socio-economic rights, in the overall interest of the public.

He maintained that the harassment and intimidation of civic actors posed a grave threat to SERAP’s work and hampered its effort to hold public institutions accountable.

According to him, SERAP operates with both local and international donor support.

Answering questions under cross-examination, the witness told the court that the DSS operatives stormed the organisation’s office, a development he said made it alert the public.

He told the court that many staff members of SERAP, including a front-desk officer, a security guard, and a lawyer, reported the presence of the officials.

Asked if the said staff members were assaulted or if doors were broken, the witness confirmed there was no physical attack.

He, however, insisted that the manner of entry and presence of unmarked vehicles that were used by the operatives led SERAP to issue a public statement.

Oluwadare further stated that the organisation has CCTV footage of the incident, adding that messages SERAP sent out through its X handle (Twitter) reflected the seriousness of what its staff members observed on that day.

Meanwhile, after he was discharged from the witness box, counsel to the claimants, Oluwagmileke Kehinde, informed the court that both parties had reached the close of trial and requested a date for adoption of final written addresses.

The claimants – Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele – who are DSS operatives, dragged SERAP before the court for allegedly making a false claim against them.

In the suit marked CV/4547/2024, they told the court that SERAP falsely claimed that they invaded its Abuja office.

According to the litigants, the said false claim negatively impacted both their reputation and the corporate image of the DSS.

Consequently, they are praying 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) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading the first defendant’s office and interrogating the first defendant’s staff.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N5bn as damages for the libellous statements published about the claimants.

“Interest on the sum of N5bn at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the date of judgement until the judgement sum is realised or liquidated.”

As well as “an order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”

Source; Vanguard News