The Federal High Court in Abuja has declined a request by the Federal Government to issue an arrest warrant for suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over her absence in court during her scheduled arraignment in a defamation case.
Justice Muhammed Umar delivered the ruling on Monday after the prosecution, represented by David Kaswe, told the court that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer had just been served the charges in the courtroom earlier that day.
Justice Umar explained that since the senator had not been directly served the charges or formally notified of the court hearing, it was unreasonable to expect her appearance. On that basis, he denied the application for a bench warrant.
Kaswe argued that the senator should have known about the proceedings since her counsel had been served. However, the judge disagreed, stating that service on her legal representative does not equate to personal awareness by the defendant.
Following this, the prosecution requested that the charges be served through her lawyer, Johnson Usman — a move the court approved. Her arraignment has now been rescheduled for June 30.
The defamation charges were brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, representing the Federal Government. Akpoti-Uduaghan is the only defendant named in the case.
The government alleges that during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan made statements implying that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello conspired to assassinate her, making it appear as though it were a local mob attack.
The prosecution claims she said:
“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. Who is going to get justice for me?”
Another part of the charge references this quote:
“That you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on or about the 3rd day of April 2025, during the same Politics Today programme on Channels Television in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, made the following imputation concerning Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.
‘It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, to eliminate me. When he met with him, he then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
You knew or had reason to believe that such imputations would harm the reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.”
In addition, the Federal Government accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of making damaging statements about Akpabio during a phone conversation with Sandra C. Duru in Abuja on March 27, 2025. She allegedly claimed:
“That girl that was killed, what’s her name, umm Imoren Iniubong, her organs were actually used for the wife, because the wife was really ill… when they killed the girl, and her organs were used for the wife.”
The government contends that she knew or should have known that these statements could damage Akpabio’s reputation.
The prosecution plans to call Akpabio, Bello, and four others as witnesses in the upcoming trial.
Advertisement
