An Abuja Court of Appeal adjourns the hearing of multiple appeals linked to a defamation case involving the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and two officials of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS). The court defers the matters until October 13, following an issue with the preparation of filings for the appeal process.
Across reports, outlets describe the underlying decision as a High Court judgment in the Federal Capital Territory ordering SERAP to pay damages of about N100 million to the two DSS officials. One report also notes that the hearing is stalled because SERAP (and its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare) files its brief late, affecting the planned hearing schedule.
Vanguard and The Punch both report that the adjournment date is October 13 for the appeals challenging the damages award. Daily Post similarly characterises the postponement as resulting from late filing of SERAP’s brief, which prevents the appeals from being heard on the day scheduled.
