Senator Natasha Appears in Court Over Defamation Allegations
Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has appeared before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, for arraignment on defamation charges filed by the Federal Government.
Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the court around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, ahead of the 11:00 a.m. session, as the courtroom awaited the presiding judge.
The criminal case, marked CR/297/25, was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Federal Government. The charges stem from comments allegedly made by the senator during a live interview on Politics Today, aired by Channels Television on April 3, 2025.
According to the prosecution, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her. She reportedly claimed that the alleged plan was to stage her death as a mob attack near Abuja after the Senate President withdrew her security detail.
One of the statements cited in the charge reads:
“Let’s ask the Senate President why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks? He then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
She also allegedly stated:
“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, to eliminate me… he then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
In a separate allegation, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making another defamatory claim during a phone conversation with Sandra C. Duru on March 27, 2025. She allegedly said that the organs of murdered jobseeker Iniubong Umoren were used for the treatment of Akpabio’s ailing wife.
The Federal Government contends that the senator made the remarks with the intent to damage the reputations of the individuals involved.
Senate President Akpabio, former Governor Bello, and four others are listed as key witnesses in the case.
