The Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) has criticized the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for describing a High Court judgment awarding N100 million in damages to two DSS operatives as “a travesty” and an attack on civic space.
In a statement issued Wednesday in Kaduna, NEYGA said SERAP’s reaction was “deeply troubling and irresponsible” for an organization that claims to promote socio-economic rights and accountability.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court had on Tuesday ordered SERAP to pay N100 million in general damages to two Department of State Services (DSS) operatives who sued the NGO for defamation. The court also directed SERAP to publish apologies in two national newspapers and on two television stations.
Shortly after the ruling, SERAP issued a statement calling the judgment “a travesty,” “a blow to civic space in Nigeria,” and “a troubling pattern under the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of using defamation laws to punish legitimate criticism and suppress accountability.”
NEYGA’s spokesperson, Alhaji Ibrahim Dan-Musa, said SERAP’s remarks were an attempt to discredit the judiciary and undermine accountability.
“On the surface, SERAP pretends to live by its name — promoting socio-economic rights and accountability. Deep down, however, it would seem that SERAP would rather every other person or group, but itself, be held accountable,” Dan-Musa stated.
The group accused SERAP of hypocrisy, pointing to its recent praise of an ex parte order granted against the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) while dismissing the DSS judgment from a court of coordinate jurisdiction as a “travesty.”
NEYGA also cited the judgment of Justice Halilu Yusuf, who ruled that SERAP cannot demand accountability from others while refusing to be held accountable when it defames private citizens.
The group noted that SERAP currently has over 30 pending court cases against Nigerian government agencies but still labeled the judgment a “travesty” simply because it did not go its way.
The youth group urged SERAP to adopt a more civil approach, noting that the two DSS officers chose to seek legal redress instead of resorting to self-help.
“This is the first time in Nigerian history that security personnel who felt hurt by the actions of others approached a court for remedy,” Dan-Musa said.
NEYGA also commended DSS Director-General Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi for allowing the operatives to pursue the case in court, saying the move had strengthened Nigeria’s jurisprudence and demonstrated that security personnel have rights that must be protected.
SERAP still has the right to appeal the judgment up to the Supreme Court.
