SaharaReporters reported on May 5, 2026, that Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, ordered SERAP to pay N100million in damages to two officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) over what it described as a defamatory publication on social media platform X.
A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof Chidi Odinkalu, has strongly condemned the recent judgment delivered by a Federal Capital Territory High Court awarding N100million damages against the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in a defamation suit.
SaharaReporters reported on May 5, 2026, that Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, ordered SERAP to pay N100million in damages to two officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) over what it described as a defamatory publication on social media platform X.
Justice Halilu, who delivered the judgment in suit number FCT/HC/CV/4547/24, ruled that the claimants, DSS operatives Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, successfully established that SERAP’s posts falsely portrayed them and the agency in a damaging light.
The case stemmed from a series of posts made by SERAP on September 9, 2024, in which the organisation alleged that officers of the State Security Service unlawfully invaded its Abuja office and demanded to see its directors.
