Witness narrates how Ex-HoS, allies diverted public funds to private companies in court
US Court Orders Olukoya, MFM General Overseer To Pay Sowore $7,320 For Lying
By Dayo Badmus,
A United States district court in Maryland has ordered Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), to pay $7,320 within 30 days to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.
SaharaReporters had published stories involving Olukoya in September 2017 when some members of the church in Maryland accused him of importing religious books without paying customs duties.
Olukoya, then in October 2018, instituted a court action against Sowore and Sahara Reporters Media Incorporated.
In the case with suit number 8:18-cv-02922, the clergyman highlighted the Sahara Reporters publication of September 27, 2017, entitled “former Mountain Of Fire Miracles Ministries pastors accuse general overseer, Olukoya, Of illegal importation of goods in US property dispute”.
Olukoya and the church lawyers had stated in a 49-paragraph complaint their three causes of action which were “defamation, defamation perse and false light”.
In the suit, the defendants had sought information related to the UK Charity Commission’s investigation of Olukoya’s church. When Olukoya failed to provide the requested discovery, the defendants filed a motion to compel him.
But Olukoya stated that he had responded to the discovery requests and that the motion to compel him was therefore moot.
Ruling on the suit on June 24, 2021, Theodore D. Chuang, the judge, held that “unfortunately, Olukoya’s response to the motion to compel contained a serious misrepresentation; he had not produced any documents relating to proceedings before the U.K. Charity Commission related to Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International.
