MFM G.O, D. K Olukoya drags owner of Sahara Reporters to court for libel

The General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, Dr Daniel Olukoya, has filed a N10 billion libel suit against the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, Sahara Reporters Incorporated and the Incorporated Trustees of Sahara Media Foundation, demanding N10bn in damages for their failure to desist from publishing false and malicious articles against him and his church, MFM, since 2013.

In the court papers filed before the Akwa Ibom state High court in Uyo, the senior pastor of MFM said several appeals made by him and his church for Sowore and his news platform to desist from publishing false malicious reports against them had fallen on deaf ears as the news platform has continued in its publications against his church.

In the court papers, Olukoya said he had earlier demanded that Omoyele and Sahara Reporters pull down all offending stories against him and his church within seven days but they refused. He said having failed to take advantage of the seven days he gave them, he had no other option but to sue them.

The Incorporated Trustees of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries was listed as the first claimant while Olukoya was the second claimant in the suit marked HU/250/2018.

Joined as defendants were Sowore, Incorporated Trustees of Sahara Media Foundation and Sahara Reporters.

Apart from the N10bn damages, the clergyman and his church has asked the court to order the defendants to pull down and erase each of the offending stories from the Internet forthwith, tender a written apology and retraction which must be published prominently in their online news report and in at least three nationally circulating newspapers and two international magazines, including TIME International.

Sahara Reporters has like a million suits of this nature pending in court.

'Justice delayed' is working in their favour big time because the payoff from just one verdict, is enough to shut the website and go find work.