The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set October 13 to hear challenges by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, against a ₦101 million defamation judgment in favour of two Department of State Services (DSS) officials.
The hearing was postponed on Friday after the court expressed displeasure over the late filing of Oluwadare’s brief, prompting the panel to defer both appeals for a joint hearing.
Oluwadare’s lawyer, Hannah Ayanwale, informed the three-member panel, led by Justice Danlami Senchi, that her client’s brief was filed on Thursday and served on the respondents shortly before proceedings began on Friday.
The explanation drew the justices’ displeasure, as the lawyer had not notified the court beforehand that the appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1105/2026, was not ready for hearing.
The panel subsequently set aside proceedings already conducted in SERAP’s related appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1114/2026, ruling that both cases should be heard together because they arose from the same judgment.
The court directed the respondents to file their briefs by October 12 and ordered the appellants to submit their reply briefs before the next sitting.
The appeals challenge a May 5 judgment by Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, which found SERAP and Oluwadare liable for defaming DSS officials Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele.
The officials had instituted the suit over publications on SERAP’s website and social media platforms alleging that DSS operatives invaded the organisation’s Abuja office and harassed its personnel on September 9, 2024.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yusuf held that the claimants had established the essential elements of defamation and rejected the defendants’ justification defence.
The judge observed that the defendants had admitted during the trial that the DSS officials did not forcefully enter SERAP’s premises or brandish weapons, despite the use of expressions such as “invasion,” “forceful entry” and “harassment” in the publications.
He ruled that the publications damaged the claimants’ professional reputations and caused them mental and psychological distress.
The court awarded ₦100 million in damages and ₦1 million in litigation costs against SERAP and Oluwadare.
It also ordered them to publish public apologies on SERAP’s website, X account, two national newspapers and two television stations.
The judgment further directed that the awarded sum attract 10 per cent annual interest until full payment.
The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear both appeals on October 13.
