Abuja Court of Appeal adjourns SERAP defamation appeals

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has adjourned the hearing of appeals filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The appeals challenge a May 5 judgment by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, which held the organization and Oluwadare liable for a N100 million to N101 million defamation judgment.

The original ruling stemmed from publications accusing two State Security Service (SSS) officials, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, of invading SERAP’s Abuja office and harassing staff in September 2024.

The adjournment occurred after counsel for Oluwadare informed a three-member panel, led by Judge Danlami Senchi, that the appeal was not ready for hearing due to the late filing of the appellant’s brief and the omission of a document. The court vacated its previous decision to reserve judgment on SERAP’s separate appeal, ruling that both appeals should be heard together as they arise from the same judgment. The court has set October 13 as the new date for further proceedings.