Sex-for-Documentary: British Court Orders Nigerian Journalist David Hundeyin to Pay £95,000 in Damages for Libeling BBC’s Charles Northcott

A British court has ordered David Hundeyin, a Nigerian investigative journalist, to pay £95,000 in damages to BBC journalist Charles Northcott for defamation. Hundeyin was found guilty of libel following his publication of an article titled “Journalism Career Graveyard,” in which he made serious allegations against Northcott. The court ruled that the claims, including accusations that Northcott had used his position to secure sexual favors from Nigerian journalist Kiki Mordi, caused significant harm to Northcott’s professional and personal life.

The court’s ruling, delivered on October 8, 2024, acknowledged the distress and reputational damage Northcott suffered due to Hundeyin’s false claims. It also noted that the defamatory publication had spread widely online, reaching more than 40 million impressions during a period of heightened attention after Hundeyin shared the article on X (formerly Twitter). Despite the court’s order for Hundeyin to remove the libelous article, he failed to comply, exacerbating the damage through a campaign of online harassment and trolling.

Hundeyin’s article accused Northcott of an inappropriate sexual relationship with Mordi during the production of the 2019 BBC documentary “Sex for Grades,” which exposed sexual exploitation by lecturers at Nigerian universities. Hundeyin also claimed that Northcott had wrongfully favored Mordi over another journalist, Oge Obi, who he alleged was the true mastermind behind the documentary. The BBC documentary, which featured Mordi as the on-screen reporter, garnered international attention for its exposé of corruption in Nigerian higher education.

The court further highlighted that Hundeyin’s conduct after publishing the article, including mocking Northcott and Mordi online and posting a video of the two journalists together, only served to escalate the harm caused. The court ruled that this behavior warranted the aggravated damages, affirming that Hundeyin’s actions were calculated to cause maximum distress to both Northcott and Mordi.

Hundeyin, who was not present in court and had no legal representation, was ordered to pay the substantial damages to compensate for the harm to Northcott’s reputation and career.