Veteran journalist, lawyer and activist, Richard Akinnola, has faulted a faction of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, for siding with the Department of State Services, DSS, against the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project, SERAP, over a court judgement on a defamation case.
Recall that Justice Halilu Yusuf ordered SERAP to pay N100 million as litigation costs to DSS operatives, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, and to publish an apology in two national newspapers, two television stations, as well as on its website and X handle.
Following the outrage that trailed the judgement, CDHR urged SERAP to comply.
Also, CDHR said public commentary on court decisions should be guided by restraint and respect for due process.
In a statement by its President, Debo Adeniran, the group emphasised that while criticism is a constitutional right, it should be expressed responsibly.
Richard Akinnola slams CDHR
However, Akinnola saw the CDHR position as a betrayal of the civil society community.
He said: “Their insistence that SERAP must immediately comply with the judgment is highly suspicious and raises more questions about their intentions.”
Akinnola wondered why they would ask SERAP to immediately comply with the judgment by paying the said N100 million damages awarded against it by an FCT High court, even when SERAP indicated it was going to appeal the judgment.
His words: “As a matter of practice, l don’t like publicly joining issues with colleagues when we disagree, but unfortunately, since such colleagues have publicly issued a statement, it is incumbent on me as a senior member of the community, to do a rejoinder.
“I never knew a day like this would come when notable activists who had been in the struggle over the years, would be publicly supporting a security agency against a member of their constituency.
“I have three posers for Debo and his faction of CDHR.
Why didn’t he take this same position in 1989, by telling Gani Fawehinmi to immediately comply with the Lagos high court order which ordered him to pay N6 million to General Babangida’s security Chiefs, Haliru Akilu and Kunle Togun for defamation before his appeal against the judgment? Gani won at the court of appeal and the defamation judgment was set aside. See Gani Fawehinmi v. Col. Haliru Akilu & anr (1994) 6 NWLR part 351. So, why the sudden interest in asking SERAP to immediately comply with the judgment? Suddenly, they have found their voice in favour of DSS against a member of their constituency.
SERAP operations predates the Buhari and Tinubu governments and there are over ten judgements that SERAP had obtained against the Federal Government which had not been complied with. Why hasn’t Debo Adeniran and his faction of CDHR call on the government to obey these judgements? Why the sudden interest in a judgment by operatives of a Security agency against SERAP?
In 2017, a London Arbitral tribunal awarded $6.6 billion damages against Nigeria in respect of the Process & Industrial Development (P&ID). Nigeria objected to the judgment that it was going to appeal, which it did and won the appeal in 2023.
“When that judgment was given against Nigeria, l didn’t hear Debo Adeniran and his faction of CDHR issue a statement, insisting that Nigeria must pay that humongous amount of damages before the appeal.
So, this red herring is embarrassingly shocking. “I’m a teacher of Media Law and Defamation law is my forte. I always teach that every freedom has its corresponding responsibility as no freedom is absolute.
“So, l would never endorse abuse of freedom of expression and allow people defamed.
“However, when a judgment is given and the aggrieved party has indicated interest to appeal because it fundamentally disagrees with the judgment, l would expect Debo’s faction and some characters who parade themselves as activists, to wait until the appeal is exhausted.
“As a student of history, l know that during the Babangida and Abacha juntas, the then SSS planted moles in the various newsrooms.
“Even during the media struggle against General Buhari’s infamous Decree 4 of 1984, there were some journalists, agents of the junta, who supported the Decree to circumscribe press freedom and planned guillotine of The Guardian by the Buhari junta by supporting Decree 4. Such people had become footnotes to historical infamy.
“Today, Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, who were jailed by the Decree 4 Tribunal have their names etched in the hallway of press freedom and The Guardian is still standing strong, while some of their colleagues who sold out to the junta have disappeared into the anonymity of history.
“We may not always agree on issues, which is normal but publicly calling out a member of your community in a civil case, raises more questions about about their intentions. So, what happens if it were to be a criminal matter?
“To use the words of Gani Fawehinmi, it is ‘egregiously impudent’. This too shall pass.”
