A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted Adewale Ajimisogbe, a blogger, for cyberbullying and defaming Dr. Daniel Olukoya, the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM). The verdict was delivered by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa after Ajimisogbe entered a guilty plea through a plea bargain arrangement with the police.
Ajimisogbe and Ayotunde Richards, a former member of the MFM church, were both arraigned on March 20, 2024, over a 12-count charge. The charges included conspiracy, cyberbullying, and libel. Both were jointly accused of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and defamation, but Ajimisogbe alone faced an additional nine counts of libel.
According to police prosecutor Nosa Uhumwangho, the offences were committed between December 2023 and February 2024. He told the court that Ajimisogbe, through his blog “Postreporters,” published a story titled “He is a criminal and behind all illegal acts – Ex-MFM Church singer sues founder Daniel Olukoya and others, seeks N15.5 billion in damages for illegal detention and breach of human rights.”
The police argued that the published content violated the Cybercrimes Act of 2015, specifically Sections 27 and 24(1)(b)(2)(a)(i), which address cyberstalking and defamation.
Initially, both defendants pleaded not guilty. However, Ajimisogbe later changed his plea as part of the plea bargain deal. He agreed to publicly apologize, publish a retraction, and pay N50,000 to the Federal Government.
His lawyer, Ife Ajayi, appealed to the court to accept the terms, noting that his client had no prior criminal record. The request was not opposed by the prosecutor, the second defendant’s counsel Ademola Adewale, or the lawyer for the complainant, A. Adegboye.
Justice Lewis-Allagoa approved the plea bargain and confirmed the fine. He then adjourned the case to June 3, 2025, for the trial of the second defendant, Ayotunde Richards.
