On the night of 3 October 2016, unknown people broke into the offices of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) at Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. The intruders somehow escaped security gates surrounding the street, before gaining access to the office building and cutting open the iron bars protecting the locked office front door. Some of the computers and cabinets were damaged. The intruders broke into the office safe, taking away some petty cash and files.

The offices were thoroughly ransacked and a TV screen on the wall at the reception was dropped on the floor. The intruders also dropped a threat note on the table at the reception, which reads “Not our target. We will be back.” The matter has been reported at the Area “F” Police Station, Ikeja, Lagos. The matter is now a subject of police investigation.

The staff who resumed early morning on 4 October 2016 took several photos of the incident. We are assessing the situation to find out what else might be missing from the office.

SERAP is a non-governmental organization dedicated to strengthening the socio-economic welfare of Nigerians by combatting corruption and promoting transparency and accountability. SERAP received the Wole Soyinka Anti-Corruption Defender Award in 2014. It has also been nominated for the UN Civil Society Award and Ford Foundation’s Jubilee Transparency Award. SERAP serves as one of two Sub-Saharan African civil society representatives on the UNCAC Coalition, a global anti-corruption network of over 310 civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 100 countries.