DSS unlawfully invaded our office, SERAP insists

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has maintained that the Department of State Services (DSS) unlawfully entered its Abuja office on September 9, 2024. The rights group dismissed claims suggesting that its deputy director “admitted to no invasion” as false.

In a statement on Tuesday, SERAP said, “We stand by our statements on oath, statements of defence, and the correct court proceedings on Monday, November 24, 2025, confirming that DSS unlawfully invaded SERAP’s office on September 9, 2024.”

DSS officials had entered SERAP’s office, requesting to see the organisation’s directors, but later claimed they were conducting a routine investigation. The Service also filed a N5 billion defamation suit against SERAP, under the names of DSS officials Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, alleging that the rights group’s claims damaged their reputations.

SERAP said reports of the November 24 court hearing contained inaccuracies that misrepresented what transpired in court. The organisation stressed that its legal team, including five senior lawyers from Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), was fully present during the hearing.

“The use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) by Nigerian authorities against citizens and organisations peacefully exercising their rights is unconstitutional and violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations,” SERAP added. “These authoritarian practices will surely fail.”