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Proceedings in the appeal filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, over a $101 million defamation judgment have been postponed due to delays in the submission of the required court documents.
The matter was heard by a three-member bench of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, where the appeals challenged a ruling of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) delivered on May 5, 2026.
The lower court had ruled that SERAP and Oluwadare had defamed two officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) through a publication made on September 10, 2024.
The appeal hearing has been postponed
During Friday’s proceedings, the appeal filed by SERAP, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1114/2026, was called before the bench headed by Justice Danlami Senchi.
However, the relevant appeal filed by Oluwadare, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1105/2026, could not proceed as the appellant’s brief had been filed only a day earlier.
The lawyer representing Oluwadare, Hannah Ayanwale, informed the court that the appeal was not ready for hearing because the necessary documents had just been submitted.
The court expressed concern that the matter had not been brought to its attention earlier, especially as both appeals came from the same judgment and should have been dealt with together.
The panel therefore quashed the previous SERAP appeal proceedings and ordered that the two matters proceed together.
The hearing was postponed to October 13, 2026.
The respondents were ordered to file their briefs by October 12, while the appellants were ordered to file any reply briefs before the next hearing.
The controversy arose from a publication by SERAP and Oluwadare that DSS officials Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele invaded the SERAP office in Abuja on September 9, 2024 and subjected staff members to harassment.
The two DSS officials filed a lawsuit in the FCT High Court, claiming the claims were false and harmful to their professional reputations.
The case was filed as CV/4547/2024 before Justice Yusuf Halilu.
The FCT High Court awards damages of $101 million
In his May 5 ruling, Judge Halilu said DSS officials had successfully demonstrated the elements needed to prove defamation.
The court rejected SERAP’s defense of justification, ruling that the organization and its deputy director did not provide sufficient evidence to support the invasion and harassment claims.
The judge noted that the evidence presented during the trial showed that DSS officials did not forcefully enter the SERAP premises or display weapons.
The Court found that the wording used in the publication damaged the applicants’ reputation in their professional quality.
Judge Halilu awarded:
- 100 million dollars in damages
- One million dollars in legal fees
The court also ordered SERAP and Oluwadare to publish an apology on:
- the SERAP website;
- his X account (formerly Twitter);
- two national newspapers;
- two television stations.
The ruling also stated that the award would bear 10% annual interest until paid.
SERAP and Oluwadare appealed the ruling, seeking to overturn the FCT High Court’s decision.
The appeal hearing will now continue after the parties have complied with the Court of Appeal’s directions regarding the filing of their legal documents.
The case has attracted attention because it involves a major civil society organization known for advocating on issues of transparency, accountability and governance, and raises questions about freedom of expression, public interest signaling and the protection of individual reputations.
