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U.S Court Slams $50,000 Damages on Funke Ashekun for Defaming MFM Church, Dr DK Olukoya

A Baltimore County Circuit Court in the United States of America, presided over by Theresa Adams, has slammed a record $50,000 damages on a US-based Nigerian blogger, Funke Ashekun.

Collins Edomaruse, media aide to Dr. Olukoya, said in a statement on Thursday that the damages were slammed on Ashekun for defaming Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya.

The fifty thousand dollars is the amount of damages she is to pay.

The jury found that the postings of Ms. Ashekun had defamed the Mountain of Fire and shown its pastors in a false light.

In handing down judgement in the matter with Case Number: C-03-CV-22-004424, the court returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Mountain of Fire USA and its three pastors, Grace Ugeh, Kunle Ladipo and Adekunle Adekola.

Ashekun is a Nigerian lady, who recently relocated to the United States. She has been on the 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 – MFM.

Being deceived by this illusion that she can hide in the U.S. and successfully carry out the job of her paymasters to ridicule and tarnish the image of the MFM and it’s General Overseer, she refused to heed all Godly counsel for her to retrace her steps and refrain from her self-destructive mission.

Thus, the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (U.S) successfully prosecuted its claims against her which did not last for a year.

The case thus represents a victory for the MFM ministry, its local pastors and the General Overseer.

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry’s lead counsel, Gilbert Garcia, said that the ‘Church was gratified that the jury found in favor and vindicated our position.’

…lauds NASS leadership for patriotism

The Governance Accountability and Advocacy Centre (GAAC) has rubbished insinuations that the 2024 budget was skewed in favour of the southern part of the country.

The group said there is no iota of truth in the allegations of lopsided allocations by the Northern Senators Forum, adding that such fallacious claims are intended to cause disaffection among Nigeria’s federating entities.

The GAAC which made this known at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja said the budget was passed after careful consideration and debate by the National Assembly.

Okwa Dan, the convener, therefore, reaffirmed that the budget is designed to benefit all Nigerians, not just a particular region or group.

While urging the Senators to interact as colleagues to ensure that the budget is implemented in a way that benefits the nation, Dan said they were elected to work for the good of all Nigerians.

He, however, passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the National Assembly, describing them as patriotic, committed, and focused on the Nigerian cause.

“We would like to remind the Northern Senators Forum to come forward with a message that clears the air and reasserts that Nigeria is a diverse country with many different ethnic groups and religions. We must work together to build a united and prosperous nation. We must not allow ourselves to be divided along geo-political lines,”  Dan said.

“We understand that the Northern Senators Forum may have concerns about the allocation and distribution of resources in the 2024 budget. But these are concerns that can be addressed through dialogue and collaboration.

“We urge the Northern Senators Forum to engage in constructive dialogue with their colleagues in the Senate to address any concerns they may have so that some characters will not impersonate them to exploit such. There are provisions for amending the budget, which can be explored to address any identified concerns.

“We believe that the 2024 budget was passed after careful consideration and debate by the National Assembly. It is a people’s budget that is designed to benefit all Nigerians, not just a particular region or group. We urge the Senators to interact as colleagues to ensure that the budget is implemented in a way that benefits all Nigerians.

“It is of note that the Leadership of both houses of the National Assembly are evenly distributed across North and South. Membership of the two chambers is also distributed across the country, with the North having more seats than the South.

“The Chairmen of Appropriation Committees for both Chambers of the Parliament come from the North and the South, which shows balance. The budget was not passed by lawmakers from the South but by the plenaries of both houses, which had northern lawmakers actively contributing to debates and voting to pass the budget.

“The reservations that some people are now expressing could have been expressed at the stages when the budget was being considered. This would have ensured that amends were made if there was truly a need for it. But to now begin to castigate a budget they were part of approving smacks of mischief that would not bode well for anyone.

*On the executive side, the Minister of Budget and Planning is from the North. He prepared the budget document for the country and could not have allowed the projected spending to be skewed against the North.

“As a competent public office holder, he must have put in his best to deliver a budget that addresses the developmental needs of the country. Even if the other stakeholders in the budgeting process colluded to skew the budget against the North, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a true nationalist would not have allowed anything that would undermine the North.

“We would like to remind Nigerians that Senators Forum were elected to represent the people of Nigeria. They must consequently work for the good of all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Their utterances as leaders must therefore be well-guided at this point, particularly bearing in mind the peculiar challenges that the country is having to deal with.”

Four men from Port Harcourt are accused of invading, damaging, and setting fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly last year. The federal government has harshly charged them with terrorism.

The accused individuals are believed of being supporters of Siminalaye Fubara from Rivers State. They are charged with terrorist related offenses that they allegedly committed during the political unrest that shook Port Harcourt in October of last year.

Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald, Ochueja Thankgod, Prince Lukman Oladele, and Chima Eguma Ezebalike are among them.

Although the immediate past factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Edison Ehie was named in the 7-count terrorism charges, he was however said to be at large alongside other suspects.

The four alleged terrorism suspects who have been in the custody of the anti-terrorism department of the police at the Force Headquarters in Abuja are to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja today.

In the charges against them marked FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, obtained by our correspondent, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun is named as the complainant.

Some of them were accused of killing five police informants at the Ahoada hamlet in the state, as well as Superintendent of Police (SP) Bako Agbashim, in addition to burning down the State House of Assembly.

Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu, and Saturday Edi are the police informants who are rumored to have died.

They were also charged with utilizing cults, including Greenland, Degbam, Iceland, and the Supreme Viking Confraternity, to terrorize the populace and disrupt their business ventures.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Simon Lough has been detailed to lead the prosecution team before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja today.

Specifically, they are alleged to have on October 29, 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt conspired to commit acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly, an offence punishable under section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

Part of the charges read, “That you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37 years, business man of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47 years of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon Edison Ehie and others now at large on 29th of October 2023 at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, while acting in concert conspired together to commit felony to wit: acts of terrorism by wilful destruction of public properties by invading, attacking, destroying and burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 26 (1) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“That on October 29, 2023, at Moscow Road in Port Harcourt, you, Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37, a businessman of Street 5, Radio Estate Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Prince Lukman Oladele, 47, of Okocha Street, Port Harcourt, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Hon. Edison Ehie, and others who are currently at large, willfully and maliciously invaded, attacked, and set fire on the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex. As a result, you committed an offense under section 1 of the Miscellaneous Offenses Act, Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja is anticipated to preside over their arraignment.