By Our Correspondent

National News – Human rights organisations have urged the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project to comply with a Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment in a defamation case filed by two operatives of the Department of State Services.

The groups insisted that respect for court rulings remains vital to democracy, accountability, and the rule of law in Nigeria.

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights made the call on Thursday through a statement jointly signed by its President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Debo Adeniran, and National Publicity Secretary, Jeremiah Onyibe.

According to the organisation, the court found that allegations published against the DSS officers damaged their professional reputation after reviewing evidence presented during proceedings.

The group stressed that advocacy organisations and citizens have constitutional rights to freedom of expression and public criticism, but such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the law.

CDHR further warned against narratives capable of weakening public confidence in judicial institutions without credible evidence.

The Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence also criticised SERAP over its response to the ruling.

In a statement signed by Executive Director, Gbenga Soloki, the organisation accused SERAP of attempting to ridicule the court judgment while continuing to maintain claims on social media that DSS operatives invaded its Abuja office in September 2024.

CAIDOV argued that the N100 million damages awarded against SERAP should not be viewed as excessive, noting that international firms have faced heavier penalties over misconduct in recent years.

The group added that human rights advocacy should protect everyone, including security personnel.

The DSS earlier clarified that the lawsuit was filed by the two officers in their personal capacity and not by the agency itself.

The court later ruled in favour of the operatives, awarding N100 million in damages and directing SERAP to publish public apologies across multiple media platforms.

SERAP, however, rejected the judgment and announced plans to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.