The Court of Appeal in Abuja is set to convene on Friday, October 9, 2026, to hear an appeal filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) challenging a ₦101 million defamation judgment rendered against it by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
​The appellate proceedings will open at the Court of Appeal Complex in Abuja, where a three-member panel of justices will re-examine the May 5 decision delivered by Justice Halilu Yusuf in suit number CV/4547/2024.
​The dispute stems from a civil defamation action instituted by two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, against SERAP and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The claimants alleged that SERAP damaged their professional reputations by publishing claims on September 10, 2024, alleging that DSS officers unlawfully invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024, and harassed staff.
​In the May 5 ruling, Justice Yusuf held that the claimants had successfully proved their defamation case, dismissing SERAP’s defense of justification. The court ordered SERAP and Oluwadare to pay ₦100 million in general damages and ₦1 million in suit costs, alongside a 10 percent annual interest penalty until full liquidation.
The High Court further directed the advocacy group to publish an unreserved retraction and apology across national television networks, daily newspapers, and its official social media handles.
​Seeking to set aside the entire verdict, SERAP’s legal team filed a notice of appeal accompanied by an application for a stay of execution. The appellants contend that enforcing the ₦101 million judgment debt would cause severe financial distress and cripple the group’s operational capacity, effectively obstructing its constitutional right to appeal.
​Spokespersons for SERAP maintain that the organization acted in good faith to protect civic space, while legal representatives for the DSS officers argue that the lower court’s judgment accurately addressed the injury to their clients’ standing. Friday’s hearing will determine whether the appellate court grants a stay of execution and agrees to review the merits of the High Court’s findings.
