Baltimore County Circuit Court fines Nigerian blogger heavily for libelling MFM Ministries

NIGERIAN blogger Funke Ashekun has been slammed with a record $50,000 fine by a  Baltimore County Circuit Court in the US for defaming the general overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Ministries Dr Daniel Olukoya.

In what is an unprecedented ruling, the court president Theresa Adams, returned a unanimous verdict in favour of Dr Olukoya and his three pastors, Grace Ugeh, Kunle Ladipo and Adekunle Adekola. Collins Edomaruse, Dr Olukoya's spokesman, said that the jury found that the postings of Ms Ashekun defamed the MFM and portrayed its pastors in a false light.

He added that Ms Ashekun, who recently relocated to the US has been on social media, spreading all manners of falsehoods against the MFM church and its general overseer with the sole purpose of tarnishing and damaging the reputation of the respected man of God and that of his ministry. However, Ms Ashekun added that she was shocked about the lawsuit, stressing that she did not mention the name of any church or pastor in particular in any of her posts.

She added: “Somebody even came from California to sue me in Maryland. These are people I don’t know. I have never been to their church here in America since we relocated. I saw two of them in court recently but I don’t think I will still recognise them if I meet two of them on the way. I am surprised how a woman will come after me for speaking against sexual assault on women.

“I am talking about Pharaohs of our country, people that are supposed to be men of God, that people call men of God and reverence. I am talking about things going on in our churches, that there are sexual abuses going on in our churches. Women are becoming depressed. Some of them are becoming suicidal. They are being sexually molested seriously and then a woman would come after me and take me to court for talking.

“One thing still shocks me, still baffles me that since I have started this programme, I have never mentioned the name of any church. When I talk about Pharaohs destroying women, destroying men, torturing, oppressing, sexually molesting women, young girls, even in the toilet, in church, inside what is supposed to be a sanctuary of God. Since I’ve started, I’ve never mentioned any church doing that.

“I’ve never mentioned the name of any pastor or any general overseer. I have been talking about pharaohs. Pharaoh is a biblical name. We all know pharaoh to be an oppressor of God’s children. It is a satirical name that I formed for this programme to pass all my messages because we need to speak out."

Reacting to the judgment, the MFM lead counsel, Gilbert Garcia, said the church was gratified that the jury found in favour and vindicated its position. It is not yet clear if Ms Ashekun will appeal the judgement or not.