The officers instituted the case after SERAP, last September, failed to apologize to the secret police after accusing its operatives of invading its Abuja office. The DSS officers, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, consequently filed the defamation lawsuit in October 2024, seeking ₦5 billion in damages from SERAP. In addition to the remedy sought by the officers for what they called reputational harm, was demand for an apology published on SERAP’s website, national dailies and television stations, N50 million for legal costs and 10 percent annual interest on the N5 billion until payment is completed.