Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin has been found guilty of libel by the Royal Courts of Justice in the UK.
The ruling, handed down on 8th October 2024, stems from defamatory claims made in his article, Journalism Career Graveyard. Hundeyin has been ordered to pay £95,000 in damages to BBC journalist Charles Northcott.
The case originated from allegations made by Hundeyin against Northcott, director of the Sex for Grades documentary. Hundeyin claimed that Northcott had exploited his position to solicit sexual favours from Kiki Mordi, a prominent figure in the documentary. He also alleged that Northcott had favoured Mordi over Oge Obi, who he argued was the true architect of the documentary.
Northcott vehemently denied these claims, asserting that they had caused significant harm to both his personal and professional reputation. The court accepted Northcott’s testimony, acknowledging the substantial damage to his reputation and the emotional distress caused by the defamatory statements.
The court also criticised Hundeyin’s conduct following the publication of the article, particularly his social media campaign, which was deemed as an attempt to maximise the damage to Northcott’s reputation. The court described Hundeyin’s behaviour as “aggravated” and ordered the removal of the defamatory sections from the hosting website.
Northcott’s legal team presented evidence demonstrating that the article and subsequent social media posts had generated over 40 million impressions online, with a significant audience in England and Wales. Despite a court order in July 2024 to remove the article, Hundeyin refused to comply. Instead, he continued to provoke those involved by sharing unrelated footage, further exacerbating the situation. The court dismissed these actions as unfounded and found no evidence of an inappropriate relationship.
The case concluded with Hundeyin being held accountable for his defamatory statements. Northcott’s legal team, led by Ms. Wilson, received full recognition for their efforts.
Notably, Hundeyin did not attend the court proceedings and was not represented by legal counsel.
