A UK High Court has ordered a Nigerian woman, Cynthia Chia, to pay £25,000 in damages to Dubai-based businessman Idowu Ogunkanmi for falsely accusing him of rape and waging a nine-year campaign of online harassment.
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The court found that Chia, who met Ogunkanmi in 2015 during a one-night stand at Hilton Hotel, Paddington, fabricated the rape claim and continued to spread malicious lies about him across social media platforms for nearly a decade.
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Despite being warned by police and previously arrested, Chia ignored restraining orders and created multiple Instagram and Twitter accounts to accuse Ogunkanmi of drugging, raping, impregnating her, molesting her child, and bribing authorities to cover up the alleged crimes. None of her claims were found to be true.
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Ogunkanmi, a Nigerian-born father of three and energy trader, told the court that he initially gave Chia £250 thinking she needed help with a phone bill.
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He said she later demanded more money and threatened to destroy his life when he refused.
“She tried to extort me. When I didn’t comply, she launched a social media campaign full of lies,” he said in court documents.
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Chia was also previously convicted of assaulting a mutual friend who introduced her to Ogunkanmi and was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail and issued a five-year restraining order.
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Judge Susie Alegre awarded Ogunkanmi £25,000 in damages and issued an injunction against Chia, describing her online posts as “malicious” and “completely false.”
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Ogunkanmi, who had initially sought £120,000, expressed relief after the ruling, saying false accusations can ruin lives and urging social media platforms to act faster against such abuse.
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