Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned until October 13, 2026, the hearing of appeals filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, challenging a defamation judgment involving two Department of State Services (DSS) officials.
The adjournment followed complications arising from the late filing of a brief of argument in Oluwadare’s separate appeal, which stemmed from the same judgment as SERAP’s appeal.
At Friday’s proceedings, October 9, a three-member panel led by Justice Danlami Senchi initially reserved judgment in SERAP’s appeal. However, when Oluwadare’s appeal was called, his lawyer, Hannah Ayanwale, informed the court that the matter was not ready for hearing because her client’s brief had only been filed the previous day and served on the respondents that morning.
The panel expressed displeasure that the court had not been informed earlier that the second appeal was not ready. It subsequently set aside the proceedings already conducted in SERAP’s appeal, ruling that both appeals should be heard together because they arose from the same judgment.
The court directed the first and second respondents to file their briefs by Monday, October 12, while the appellant in the second appeal was ordered to file a reply brief by Tuesday morning. Both appeals were adjourned until October 13 for hearing.
The legal dispute originated from a defamation suit filed by two DSS officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, against SERAP and Oluwadare over publications concerning an alleged incident at SERAP’s Abuja office in September 2024.
The publications alleged that DSS officials unlawfully entered the organisation’s office following SERAP’s calls for investigations into corruption allegations at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and reversals of fuel price increases.
On May 5, 2026, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory ruled in favour of the two officials and ordered SERAP and Oluwadare to pay ₦100 million in damages, alongside ₦1 million in litigation costs. The court also issued consequential orders, including a directive requiring an apology.
SERAP has challenged the judgment, arguing that the officials were not identified by name in the publications and that the claimants failed to establish sufficient evidence linking the descriptions in the reports specifically to them. The organisation is asking the appellate court to overturn the finding of liability, the damages award and the related orders.
The Court of Appeal is expected to hear both appeals on October 13. The adjournment does not determine the merits of the appeals, and the trial court’s judgment remains the subject of the ongoing challenge.
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