Dr Olukoya, the founder of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, has filed a N10billion libel lawsuit against online news agency Sahara Reporters and its publisher, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.
In the suit filed before the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo, the MFM founder said he was constrained to take legal action against Sowore, his online platform, Sahara Reporters Incorporated and the Incorporated Trustees of Sahara Media Foundation for their alleged failure to desist from publishing false and malicious articles against him and his church, MFM.
Dr. Daniel Olukoya said he has been asking the platform to stop publishing false and malicious articles against him and MFM since 2013.
Olukoya said he had earlier demanded that Sahara Reporters pull down all the offending stories against him and his church within seven days but Omoyele and his platform 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 Dr. 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 cleric and his church are praying the court to order the defendants to “pull down and erase each of the offending stories from the Internet forthwith.”
They also want the court to compel Sowore and Sahara Reporters to “tender a written apology and retraction, published prominently in their online news report and in at least three nationally circulating newspapers and two international magazines, including TIME International.”
