By our Reporter
A British High Court has ordered a woman, Cynthia Chia, to pay £25,000 in damages to Nigerian energy trader, Idowu Ogunkanmi, after subjecting him to nearly a decade of harassment, including a false rape accusation and a series of defamatory social media posts.
Ogunkanmi, 44, who resides in Dubai, met Chia in 2015 at a nightclub in London. After a one-night stand, he returned to Dubai, but their brief encounter spiraled into years of torment. Chia launched a “sustained, relentless and vindictive” campaign against him, accusing him falsely of rape, bribery, and child abuse.
According to court documents, Chia repeatedly harassed Ogunkanmi via messages and calls—sometimes up to 100 times a day and falsely claimed he had slept with her friend. She also attempted to extort money, receiving £250 under the pretense of needing help with her phone bill.
The situation worsened in 2016 when Chia accused him of rape. Ogunkanmi voluntarily returned to the UK for questioning, and police later dropped the case due to lack of evidence. However, from 2018 to 2022, Chia continued to post defamatory statements online, using Instagram accounts such as cindylicious11 and rapist_trying_to_avoid_justice. She publicly shared his name, photo, and false allegations that he had drugged, raped, and impregnated her, and bribed authorities to destroy evidence.
Chia ignored repeated legal notices and did not attend court. Deputy High Court Judge Susie Alegre granted a default judgment in Ogunkanmi’s favor, ruling that the allegations were malicious and had caused serious harm. The judge awarded £25,000 in damages for both libel and harassment and issued an injunction to stop further abuse.
Chia was also convicted earlier this year of assaulting another woman linked to the case and sentenced to 10 weeks in prison with a five-year restraining order.
Ogunkanmi expressed relief at the ruling but criticized social media platforms for failing to curb the spread of harmful falsehoods.
