Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Arraigned for Defamation Over Allegations Against Akpabio, Yahaya Bello

Suspended senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, appeared before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama on defamation charges filed by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The case, registered as CR/297/25, stems from allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a live TV broadcast on April 3, 2025, in which she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting her assassination.

Appearing in court at approximately 10:30 a.m., the embattled lawmaker faces a single count of criminal defamation, filed by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions, on behalf of the Federal Government.

In the televised remarks aired on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” the senator claimed:

“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. What is important to me is to stay alive because dead men tell no tales.”

The government argues that these statements were made willfully and maliciously, with full knowledge of the potential reputational harm to the named parties.

Though not directly testifying in court, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor Yahaya Bello are named as nominal complainants in the case, fueling political tension and public interest.

The high-profile arraignment comes just weeks after Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate over similar controversial remarks, adding another chapter to the ongoing political clash between Akpoti and influential northern figures.