The Federal Government has filed a criminal charge against suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
She was accused of defaming Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
The three-count charge was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is pending before Justice C. N. Oji.
It was filed by the Department of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The Federal Government accused Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of making imputations intended to harm reputations, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
Section 391 (1) of the Penal Code provides: “Whoever by words either spoken or reproduced by mechanical means or intended to be read or by signs or by visible representations makes or publishes any imputations concerning a person, intending to harm or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of such person, is said to defame that person.”
Under Section 392, any person who defames another shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to two years, or with a fine, or with both.
The first count centres on a televised interview Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan granted Channels Television’s political programme, “Politics Today”, aired on April 3, 2025.
In the interview, the senator had accused Akpabio of plotting to assassinate her, allegedly in collaboration with former Governor Bello.
Responding to a question during the live interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan had said: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, ehm… to eliminate me.”
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She claimed that the withdrawal of her official security detail by the Senate upon her suspension was a deliberate plot to make her “vulnerable to attacks,” suggesting an orchestrated attempt on her life.
The Federal Government argued that such public statements were made with knowledge or reason to believe they would damage Akpabio’s reputation.
In the second count, Akpoti-Uduaghan told the same television audience that a plan to assassinate her was not to be carried out in Abuja but in Kogi State, under Bello’s watch.
She claimed to have reported the threats to the Inspector General of Police and made efforts to inform security operatives.
The prosecution contended that the allegations she made on national television tarnished the character of Bello and presented a grave national security concern, especially given the implications of political violence.
In the third count, the Federal Government alleged that on March 27, 2025, during a telephone conversation with a lady called Sandra C. Duru, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made a horrifying claim that were aimed at implicating Akpabio in an alleged killing and organ harvesting.
The prosecution said the allegation, referencing a real-life murder case, was both a malicious and unsubstantiated attack on Senator Akpabio’s character, capable of inciting public outrage and diminishing public confidence in the leadership of the National Assembly.
The Federal Government averred that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan acted recklessly and with malicious intent, abusing her public platform to spread defamatory and inflammatory statements that have far-reaching consequences for national peace, security, and democratic integrity.
Justice Oji ordered that she be served with the necessary court papers before the next adjourned date.
The Nation
