Defamation: UK Court Slams Blogger £100,000 Damages, Orders Apology To Pastor Olukoya, Wife

A United Kingdom court has ruled against blogger Maureen Badejo, ordering her to pay £100,000 in damages to the founder of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya, and his wife, following her loss in a defamation suit.

Naija News reports that the judgment was delivered by the UK High Court of Appeal, Queen’s Bench Division, presided over by Mr Justice Lavender, who affirmed earlier rulings against Badejo in the suit marked QB-2020-003625.

Justice Lavender upheld the orders earlier made by Master Thormett on April 13, 2021, and February 3, 2022, describing Badejo’s appeal as lacking merit.

The court ruled that the blogger’s online publications concerning Dr Olukoya and his wife were false and defamatory, noting that the statements had no factual basis.

In the judgment, the court ordered Badejo to pay £65,000 in damages to Dr Olukoya and £35,000 to his wife, bringing the total compensation to £100,000.

Beyond the financial penalty, the court further directed the blogger to publicly retract the defamatory statements and to publish a summary of the court’s judgment on her social media platforms.

Refusing Badejo permission to appeal, Justice Lavender ruled that her application failed to meet the required legal threshold.

He stated that the permission to appeal was refused because the application lacked merit and that, in line with CPR 52.4(3), the defendant could not request a reconsideration of the decision at an oral hearing.

“Insofar as the defendant seeks permission to appeal against Master Thormett’s order of 3 February 2022 (the second order), her proposed grounds of appeal are both hopeless and pointless,” the court held.

The court stressed that individuals are entitled to protection against defamatory publications, warning that false accusations, particularly when circulated online, carry serious legal consequences.

It reaffirmed that freedom of expression does not extend to the spread of falsehoods capable of damaging personal and professional reputations.

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