The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dismissed media reports suggesting that its deputy director admitted in court that the Department of State Services (DSS) did not invade the organisation’s Abuja office.
In a statement dated 25 November 2025 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP described the reports as inaccurate, insisting they misrepresented what transpired during court proceedings on Monday, 24 November 2025, in the strategic lawsuit filed against the organisation by two DSS officials.
According to SERAP, the suggestion that its deputy director denied the invasion “is entirely incorrect,” adding that several reputable newspapers with reporters present in court published accurate accounts of the proceedings.
SERAP reaffirmed confidence in its legal team, noting that five lawyers from the chambers of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Tayo Oyetibo and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, were in court to represent the organisation. It maintained that the suit filed against it amounts to a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) aimed at silencing legitimate advocacy.
The organisation reiterated its position filed in court, stressing that the DSS unlawfully invaded its Abuja office on 9 September 2024, following its letter urging President Bola Tinubu to investigate alleged corruption at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and reverse the petrol price increase.
In its statement of defence, SERAP said it would urge the court to dismiss the suit as frivolous and vexatious. It revealed that one of the DSS officials who entered its office signed the visitor’s book under a false name, “Sarah David,” rather than “Sarah John,” one of the claimants in the suit.
SERAP alleged that the officials stormed its premises, demanded access to senior staff, requested organisational documents, and questioned its front desk officer. The organisation said during trial it would challenge the competence of the suit on several legal grounds.
The organisation added that the DSS has issued contradictory explanations for the visit. While a public statement on 10 September 2024 claimed the operatives were on a “routine investigation,” the suit filed in court alleged they came to familiarise themselves with SERAP’s supposed “new leadership” — which the organisation said does not exist.
SERAP also noted discrepancies in the DSS claim, including references to a front desk officer named “Ruth,” whom it said does not work at its Abuja office.
The NGO stated that the DSS officials questioned its internal structure and demanded to know the whereabouts of its director as well as the source of public statements about NNPCL and petrol pricing.
SERAP said the interrogation caused fear among staff, with unmarked vehicles parked outside the premises and operatives reportedly waiting for a signal to enter. It added that staff members felt intimidated and traumatised, with some reluctant to return to work afterwards.
The organisation explained that after the officials left, their convoy remained outside the premises, prompting SERAP to issue a post on X urging President Tinubu to stop what it described as harassment and unlawful occupation. This, it said, attracted journalists to the scene, after which the DSS convoy left.
SERAP insisted its publication on the invasion was true and directed at the DSS as an institution known for harassment of citizens, not at the individual officers claiming defamation. It added that the officials cannot claim injury since they were not named in the publication.
The suit, filed by two DSS officials — Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele — with number FCT/HC/CV/4547/24, has been adjourned by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court to 19 February 2026 for adoption of final written addresses.
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