On Monday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declined the Federal Government’s application for the issuance of a bench warrant against suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, over her absence at an arraignment in a pending criminal defamation matter.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Muhammed Umar held that the request for a bench warrant was unmerited, as the defendant had not been duly served with the charge or a notice of hearing prior to the scheduled court date. The Honourable Court noted that in the absence of proper service, it could not reasonably expect the defendant’s appearance in court.
The prosecution, represented by Mr. David Kaswe, had submitted that service was effected upon the defendant’s counsel in court earlier that morning and, therefore, urged the court to infer constructive knowledge on the part of the defendant.
In rejecting this submission, Justice Umar ruled that service on counsel during court proceedings does not amount to proper service upon the defendant, and that the court could not proceed on assumptions of her knowledge.
Upon refusal of the arrest warrant, the prosecution then sought leave to effect substituted service of the charge through the defendant’s legal representative, Mr. Johnson Usman. The application was granted accordingly.
Following its refusal to grant the Federal Government’s application for a bench warrant, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted the prosecution’s request for substituted service of the charge through the defendant’s legal counsel, Mr. Johnson Usman. The Honourable Court, presided over by Justice Muhammed Umar, accordingly adjourned the matter for arraignment to June 30, 2025.
The criminal charge against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The senator is the sole defendant in the matter.
According to the charge, the Federal Government alleges that the defendant made defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, which aired on April 3, 2025.
Specifically, the prosecution contends that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan falsely claimed that the named complainants conspired to orchestrate her assassination and frame it as a mob or localised attack. The charge quotes the senator as stating:
“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?”
The Federal Government asserts that these remarks were made knowingly or recklessly, with the defendant fully aware or having reason to believe that such statements could harm the reputation of the individuals concerned.
Additionally, the charge details another alleged defamatory imputation made during the same broadcast, in which the senator stated:
“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.”
The prosecution maintains that the statements were injurious to the character of Mr. Yahaya Bello, and that the defendant was aware, or ought to have been aware, of their potentially damaging nature.
Moreover, the Federal Government also alleges that on March 27, 2025, during a telephone conversation in Abuja with one Sandra C. Duru, the senator made additional defamatory claims concerning Senate President Akpabio, specifically referencing the tragic death of one Imoren Iniubong. The statement as cited in the charge reads:
“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 argues that the senator knew or ought reasonably to have known that the allegation would seriously injure the reputation of Senator Akpabio.
The list of prosecution witnesses includes Senate President Godswill Akpabio, former Governor Yahaya Bello, and four additional unnamed individuals.
The case is now set for arraignment on June 30, 2025, before Justice Muhammed Umar at the Federal High Court, Abuja.#newsafro_
