An Abuja court will deliver its judgment on May 5 in a N5.5 billion defamation case. Two DSS operatives are suing the civil rights group SERAP over alleged false claims.
Justice Halilu Yusuf issued the hearing notice on Monday. Both parties received copies of the judgment date.
The judge had reserved the case on February 19. He heard arguments from all three parties before making his decision.
Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele filed the suit. They work as operatives with the Department of State Services.
SERAP is listed as the first defendant in the case. Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP's Deputy Director, is the second defendant.
The dispute centers on a September 9, 2024 incident. SERAP allegedly claimed John and Ogundele raided its Abuja office that day.
The DSS staff deny the allegation. They say SERAP published false information about them on its website.
Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde represents the claimants. He urged the judge to award all relief his clients requested.
Kehinde noted that John and Ogundele weren't named in the publication. However, he said the circumstances clearly identified them as the targets.
He argued that SERAP's article contained all elements of defamation. The offending piece referred directly to the two DSS officers, he insisted.
Victoria Bassey defended SERAP in court. She works with the law firm of Tayo Oyetibo SAN.
Bassey asked the judge to throw out the case entirely. She said the claimants failed to prove SERAP was targeting them specifically.
SERAP used the term "DSS officials" in its publication, she noted. The claimants must show they were the ones mentioned, she argued.
Oluwatosin Adefioye represented the second defendant. He made similar arguments supporting the dismissal request.
Adefioye didn't dispute that DSS visited SERAP's office on September 9. But he said SERAP never named specific individuals in its article.
He added that the claimants need special circumstances to prove they were referenced. Simply being DSS officials isn't enough, he contended.
Adefioye raised another legal point in court. He said no organization called "Department of State Service" exists in law.
Only the National Security Agency is recognized by statute, he submitted. Therefore, DSS cannot claim to have been defamed, Adefioye argued.
Justice Yusuf promised to notify both sides when the judgment was ready. That date is now confirmed as May 5.
The case has drawn attention from civil rights advocates nationwide. Questions about press freedom and institutional accountability are at stake.
Observers will watch closely when the judgment arrives. The ruling could set precedent for similar defamation cases involving security agencies.
