Nigeria civil society coalition demands release of DSS‑SERAP defamation judgment

On May 11, 2026, a coalition of 52 Nigerian civil society organisations—including Amnesty International Nigeria, ActionAid Nigeria, BudgIT Foundation, Centre for Democracy and Development, Media Rights Agenda, Yiaga Africa and Transition Monitoring Group—issued a joint statement urging the immediate release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a defamation judgment involving officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

The groups said the delay undermines judicial transparency, civic freedoms and constitutional democracy, citing Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (right to a fair hearing), Sections 39(1) and 22 (freedom of expression and media’s accountability role), and international standards such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. They warned that using defamation suits to curb anti‑corruption and public‑interest advocacy threatens democratic accountability and called for the CTC’s prompt publication, respect for constitutional and human‑rights guarantees, and restraint in public commentary on undisclosed court records.