The charges arise from remarks made by Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of conspiring to assassinate her
FG Files Criminal Defamation Charges Against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Abuja, Nigeria — The Federal Government has filed criminal charges against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, over allegedly defamatory statements made during a live television interview.
The suit was filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, with Akpoti-Uduaghan named as the sole defendant.
The government is accusing the senator of violating Section 391 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, which criminalizes statements made with the knowledge or reasonable belief that such statements will harm the reputation of another person. The offence is punishable under Section 392 of the same code.
The charges stem from remarks Akpoti-Uduaghan made during a televised appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, where she alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello conspired to assassinate her.
According to the charge sheet, Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me. 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 emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
The Federal Government alleges that these statements were made with the intention to harm the reputation of both Akpabio and Bello.
In a second count, the senator is accused of repeating similar claims about Yahaya Bello during the same program, stating:
“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me… He then emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
A third count accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of making further damaging allegations in a private phone call on March 27, 2025, with a woman identified as Sandra C. Duru. During the call, she allegedly claimed:
“That girl that was killed… 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 asserts that Akpoti-Uduaghan knew, or should have known, that such claims would severely damage the reputation of Senator Akpabio.
The case is being prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar. Both Senate President Akpabio and former Governor Bello are listed as witnesses in the trial.
As of now, no date has been set for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arraignment.
See the charge sheet below:
