MFM: Olukoya wins as UK court awards damages against Badejo

The High Court of Justice in London, yesterday, delivered judgment in the case involving the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Worldwide, Dr. D. K. Olukoya and a United Kingdom based Nigerian blogger, Maureen Badejo, wherein it ordered Badejo to pay a six-figure sum in damages to both Olukoya and his wife immediately.

A statement signed by Dan Aibangbe on behalf of MFM Ministries, recalled that Badejo, who operates through an online platform called GIO Tv and several other channels, had used her platforms over a period of months to propagate outright falsehoods, innuendoes and misconceptions against the MFM Ministries, its senior pastors and the persons of the General Overseer, his wife and son.

“As at the last count, 22 specific accusations have been collated for appropriate response. The accusations range from civil to criminal matters, which ordinarily should have been tabled before specific regulatory authorities by the accusers, if the intention was noble indeed. However, she has chosen the social media platform, where the audiences are mostly gullible and people can practically get away with character assassination, if not challenged,” Aibangbe said.

In awarding them judgment and damages, the court recognised the prolonged intense and malicious campaign conducted by Badejo against the Oluokoyas who had never even met her and did not know of her until she started her campaign.

The court said that Badejo’s campaign went to the Olukoyas’ professional integrity and their reputations and had been widely publicised by Badejo. The court also noted that Badejo had refused to apologise in any way for her conduct.

The court then ordered her to publish a summary of its judgment across nine of her social media channels for a period of 10 days as a corrective measure to ensure the judgment reached all her viewers.

Aibangbe said Olukoya’s lawyers have written to Badejo demanding payment of damages due to their client as ordered by the court.