Dr Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), has put a blogger, Maureen Badejo, on formal notice of contempt of court for allegedly violating the order of a UK-based court restraining her from defaming the renowned cleric.
Counsel to the General Overseer of MFM, Mr Davidson Adejuwon, stated this in a press release, on Friday, alleging that Ms Badejo, a UK-based blogger, has recently renewed her false defamatory and malicious war on Dr Olukoya and MFM.
The Queens Bench Division of a UK High Court of Justice had, in November 2021, threatened to jail Ms Badejo, if she failed to obey an existing court judgement against her in favour of Dr Olukoya.
The court had, in an order titled ‘Notice to the Defendant’, gave Badejo up till 4 November, 2021, to obey the judgement or be found guilty of contempt and risk being sent to prison.
It also, on 22 October, 2021, ordered Blogger Badejo to pay the sum of £65,000 to the General Overseer and £35,000 to his wife, Folashade, as damages over defamatory publications.
The counsel to Dr Olukoya stated in the release that the blogger has been acting contrary to the court order, hence the need to “revisit the court order made against her in April 2021 and the consequences of her actions now.”
Mr Adejuwon recalled that, during the court proceedings, Ms Badejo was given a full and fair opportunity to present evidence to support the allegations she had been circulating.
“The court found she was unable to produce any credible evidence. The court eventually determined that her claims were false and, on 13, April 2021, Dr Olukoya and his wife, Dr (Mrs) Folashade Olukoya, obtained judgment in the High Court against Maureen Badejo.
“The court found in favour of the Olukoyas and, as part of the relief granted to them was an injunction which restrains Maureen Badejo (the defendant) from repeating or republishing the false allegations she had made about Dr Olukoya.
“The effect of the injunction is clear: Maureen Badejo is legally prohibited from continuing the same brutal false and defamatory campaign against Dr Olukoya that she pursued since 2020 until the Court Order was obtained. The order compelled her to stop.
“Embarrassingly, she was also ordered by the court to publish on her own social media channels a summary of the judgement as follows.
“In October 2020, Dr Daniel Olukoya and Mrs Folashade Olukoya brought proceedings against Ms Maureen Badejo in defamation in relation to allegations of, amongst other things, dishonesty and sexual misconduct.
“Ms Badejo filed a defence, alleging the allegations she had published were true. In April 2021, that defence was struck out as disclosing no reasonable grounds for defending the claim and as an abuse of the court’s process.
“In April 2021 Dr Olukoya and Mrs Olukoya obtained summary judgment against Ms Badejo; an injunction was granted preventing Ms Badejo from publishing any of the allegations she had made against Dr Olukoya and Mrs Olukoya; and damages were ordered to be determined at a later date.
“On 22 October, 2021, the court determined the damages payable by Ms Badejo, and she was ordered to pay damages of £65,000 to Dr Olukoya and £35,000 to Mrs Olukoya as compensation for the wrong they have suffered,” he stated.
The counsel to Olukoya further said Ms Badejo has again started to malign Dr Olukoya “to gain fame and publicity, adding that she is repeating the same false allegations she made five years ago.
“The very same allegations she had to publish an apology and the court injunction on her own social media, explaining why these were false. This is a serious breach of the court’s authority.
“Despite the UK High Court judgment and the injunction now in place, Maureen Badejo has continued an ongoing campaign of false and malicious statement.”
Adejuwon disclosed that the legal team of Dr Olukoya who secured the UK Court judgment have written to Ms Badejo to put her on a formal notice.
The formal notice, he added is to the effect that, unless she stops and desists, pulls down the recent defamatory posts with apology, a formal proceeding for contempt will follow.
“She has been warned in clear terms that any continued repetition of the allegations, or any conduct that undermines or breaches the injunction, will be treated as a serious matter and that proceedings will be issued for contempt of court.
“Contempt of court is not a mere technicality. It is a grave breach of the court’s authority and the rule of law. If established, it carries criminal sanctions, including fines and imprisonment.
“In short, this is no longer simply a question of reputational harm; it is now a question of compliance with a binding High Court order.
“Dr Olukoya remains willing to see this brought to a proper end, but the position is equally clear: the judgment must be respected, the injunction must be obeyed, and it is time for Badejo to stop her unlawful campaign or face the consequences of her disobedience,” Adejuwon added.
