The self-styled Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin was found guilty of libel by the British court known as the Royal Courts of Justice. He was also ordered to pay £95,000 in damages to Charles Northcott, a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) against whom Hundeyin made serious accusations in his article “Journalism Career Graveyard.”
After his article was published, Hundeyin accused Northcott of a number of things, including using his role as the documentary’s director to get sexual favors from Nigerian journalist Kiki Mordi, who was the on-screen reporter for the BBC’s Sex for Grades documentary and was nominated for an Emmy.
“I accept C’s testimony that D’s libel has caused him great hurt and suffering and has had a very negative impact on him both personally and professionally. I accept both in their entirety, as his witness statement both embraces and develops the specifics of harm asserted in the PoC.
“C is granted £95,000 in damages, including aggravated damages, by the court. In addition to taking into consideration the distress, hurt, and humiliation that D’s false and defamatory publication has caused C, as well as D’s aggravating conduct, this amount is appropriate to make up for the harm that D has done to C’s reputation and to restore his good name, according to the court’s document on the case.
Additionally, it directed the proprietors of the website to take down the objectionable portion of Hundeyin’s piece.
This ruling was rendered by the court on October 8, 2024. Ms. Wilson represented the complainant, Northcott, whereas Hundeyin did not appear in court or have legal representation. The court stated that Hundeyin was not present when it rendered its decision.
In 2019, Ms. Mordi, a freelance journalist, worked with a BBC crew to create a 54-minute documentary. This video revealed how instructors at several Nigerian colleges take advantage of weaker female students, like those who are struggling academically, are applying for admission, or want mentoring, by requesting sexual favors in return for academic advantages.
She collaborated on the project with Norcott and other reporters.
In an article titled “Journalism Career Graveyard,” published three years after the documentary’s premiere, Hundeyin accused Norcott of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with Mordi and given her preference to work on the Sex for Grades documentary while ignoring and misleading Oge Obi, whom Hundeyin claimed was the driving force behind the BBC documentary.
After Hundeyin posted the expose on his profile, X (previously Twitter) went crazy in September 2022. After Hundeyin’s post, the article, related hashtags, and tweets gained significant popularity.
Between September 27 and October 31, 2022, the post garnered over 40 million online impressions, according to Northcott.
In order to determine how much the defamatory article had spread between September 27, 2022, and October 31, 2022, I collaborated with a colleague to analyze it together with the hashtags and tweets that were related to it by Mr. Hundeyin. According to our data, the item received over 40 million online impressions during this time frame.
These impressions are determined by counting the total number of times the content appeared on users’ feeds and search results on Twitter.
While the majority of these would have been overseas, England and Wales account for a sizable section of Mr. Hundeyin’s fan base. He was educated here, given public speaking engagements here, and published two books here that are available for purchase in British bookshops, according to Northcott’s statement.
After the piece was published, Hundeyin posted on X, tagging Mordi’s handle and threatening to sue her and anybody else who disagreed with the expose.
He once wrote: “So why don’t you sue me for blatantly claiming that you had several sexual encounters with @CNorthcott1 while making that documentary and that this was the only reason for your fraudulent ‘career’? Part of what was posted by Hundeyin on October 1, 2022.
One of his earlier posts said, “Here is @WestAfricaWeek’s address for those who are continuously threatening ‘legal steps’ because my stories have revealed their true nature to their international donors, NGOs, and state actors.” You are all jerks if you don’t sue me. I challenge you twice.
A video of Northcott and Mordi scaling the base of a statue in Trafalgar Square was also shared by Hundeyin. Greetings, @kikimordi, wrote Hundeyin. Real journalism will always exist as long as there are individuals like me, even though I’m sure you never imagined this video of you and @CNorthcott1 would ever be made public. You glory hunting, honey trapping fraud! Your “career” is ended! is the caption for the video.
Northcott filed a libel suit against Hundeyin, claiming that his acts had a negative effect on his career and caused him to suffer losses. Hundeyin disregarded the court’s orders to remove the article.
The defendant’s claims of an inappropriate sexual relationship were not supported by the footage, the judge ruled. It further stated that Mordi and Northcott were distressed by Hundeyin’s actions after the publishing, which easily qualified as trolling and aggravated damages.
“Every action D took after the publication easily fits within the guidelines I previously provided for aggravated damages. After severely defaming C, D launched a campaign of harassment and trolling that was designed to bring C and Ms. Mordi as much pain and harm as possible. Furthermore, he has not removed the Article as this court had mandated in July.
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