A witness representing the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has admitted in court that the organisation used “unlawful” or inappropriate words against the Department of State Services (DSS) in one of its publications. This came up during the ongoing N5.5 billion defamation suit filed by the DSS against SERAP over alleged damaging statements made in a public report.

During the hearing, the witness acknowledged that the language used in the publication may not have followed proper legal and ethical standards. He stated that the choice of words was not meant to undermine the DSS but to raise public concern about issues they believed required attention. However, he agreed that some expressions could have been more carefully framed.

The DSS legal team argued that the publication harmed the agency’s reputation and misled the public. According to them, SERAP’s wording suggested wrongdoing without providing sufficient evidence. They insisted that such statements from a major civil society group could weaken trust in security institutions and therefore demanded serious accountability.

SERAP’s defence maintained that their report aimed to promote transparency and uphold citizens’ rights. They stated that although the language may not have been perfect, the intention was to highlight matters of national interest. The case continues as the court reviews whether the publication truly amounted to defamation or fell under freedom of expression.