The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday declined the Federal Government’s application to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, following her absence at a scheduled arraignment in a defamation suit.
Justice Muhammed Umar, who presided over the case, ruled that since the senator had not been personally served with the charge or notification of the hearing prior to the day, it was unreasonable to expect her to appear in court. The Federal Government’s counsel, David Kaswe, had informed the court that the charge was served on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer that very morning, but the judge held that this was insufficient to presume the senator’s awareness of the arraignment date.
Kaswe argued that the senator should have known about the arraignment through her legal representative, but the judge dismissed this, stating, “Serving the charge on her legal counsel was not sufficient to presume the senator’s awareness of the arraignment.”
Following this, the prosecution requested substituted service of the charge through her counsel, Johnson Usman, which the court granted. The arraignment was rescheduled for June 30.
The defamation charge was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Federal Government. The suit names Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello as complainants, alleging that Akpoti-Uduaghan made defamatory statements during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The Federal Government contends that Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Bello and Akpabio of conspiring to orchestrate her assassination and framing it as a local mob attack. The senator is quoted as saying, “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?”
Additionally, the charge includes allegations that Akpoti-Uduaghan made defamatory remarks about Senate President Akpabio during a telephone conversation on March 27, 2025, claiming, “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 prosecution insists these statements were made recklessly, intending to harm the reputations of the individuals involved. The trial will include testimonies from Akpabio, Bello, and four other witnesses.
