THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has rejected the N5.5 billion alleged defamation suit brought against it by the Department of State Service, DSS.
The organisation reacted to the suit in a statement on X on Friday.
It reads: “We reject the baseless defamation lawsuit brought against us by the DSS, following the invasion of our Abuja office. We’re talking to our lawyers and will be filing our counter-claims.
“We’ll see in court to stop this intimidation and attack on the rights of Nigerians.”
The DSS had earlier stated that SERAP falsely claimed its operatives had invaded SERAP’s office in Abuja.
The lawsuit was filed under the names of two DSS officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele.
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They claimed that SERAP’s alleged false assertion had adversely affected the reputation of both the organization and the two officials involved.
In the suit filed on October 17, 2024, by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), the agency asserted that SERAP’s alleged false claim harmed its reputation and that of the involved officials.
According to the DSS’s statement of claim, officials John and Ogunleye visited the SERAP office on September 9 to invite its new leadership to a familiarization meeting, part of the agency’s initiative to foster relationships with NGOs in the FCT.
The service requested the court to order the defendants to issue an apology to the claimants on SERAP’s website and X (formerly Twitter).
DSS specified that this apology should also be published in two national newspapers as well as on two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television).
They are also seeking “interest on the sum of N5 billion at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realized or liquidated” and “an order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”
Meanwhile, SERAP has drawn attention to a DSS contradictory statement.
According to SERAP, “DSS initially said: ‘For the records, a team of two (2) unarmed Service operatives were lawfully detailed on routine investigation to SERAP office in Abuja, which has sadly been skewed and misinterpreted as unlawful, harassment and intimidation of SERAP officials’.
“DSS is now saying in its statement of claim, “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 its two officials to visit SERAP’s office and invite its new leadership for a familiarization meeting.”
