The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has advised the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to pay the N100 million damages awarded against it as a mark on respect for the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in the defamation suit instituted by two operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a statement, the rights group stressed the importance of individuals and organisations obeying decisions of competent courts in line with the rule of law and democratic principles.
The group said that while advocacy organisations and citizens possess constitutional rights to freedom of expression and public criticism, such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
According to the organisation, the court, after reviewing evidence presented before it, found that the publication made against the DSS operatives was defamatory and injurious to their professional reputation.
The group advised SERAP to therefore comply with all lawful directives contained in the judgment pending any appeal and refrain from statements capable of escalating tensions or undermining judicial authority.
“The rule of law remains the foundation of every democratic society. Human rights advocacy must coexist with accountability, fairness, and respect for due process.”
The statement, signed by CDHR President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Debo Adeniran and the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Jeremiah Onyibe respectively, made it clear that no organisation is above the law, just as no security agency should be immune from lawful scrutiny.
Also, the Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence (CAIDOV), accused SERAP of attempting to ridicule the court’s decision.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Gbenga Soloki, CAIDOV said that SERAP had continued to pin on its X handle claims that DSS operatives invaded its Abuja office on September 9, 2024, despite what it described as a misrepresentation of facts.
“We in the human rights community should lead by example. We should not be seen as the very persons breaching human rights in the name of free speech. Human rights is universal. It is for everybody. We should not trample on the rights of others simply because they chose to be security agents.”
CAIDOV argued that the N100 million damages awarded against SERAP for defamation should not be viewed as extraordinary, citing examples of global firms sanctioned over misconduct.
“Very big corporations around the world have at one time or the other been caught lying or cheating. Just last year, Deloitte, PwC and EY Netherlands were fined $8.5 million for cheating, while KPMG Netherlands was fined $25 million in 2024 for widespread cheating on training exams. What then is the big deal in a Nigerian court imposing a N100 million fine on SERAP for defamation?”
The group also faulted Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, for allegedly criticising the judgment instead of encouraging an appeal process.
“SERAP had nearly two years while the matter lasted in court to assemble the best lawyers in their arsenal. They failed to. All their legal luminaries waited until they lost the case, then turned to the media to wage propaganda against two DSS operatives.”
CAIDOV described as an irony for SERAP that had often relied on Nigerian courts to hold public institutions accountable, to now be the one questioning the judiciary because the verdict did not favour it.
“If people like Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa feel they know more than our revered judges, it is not too late for him to transmute from a lawyer to a judge.”
