On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja refused the Federal Government’s request to issue an arrest warrant against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, suspended from representing Kogi Central, after she failed to appear for arraignment in a defamation case.
Justice Muhammed Umar ruled against the prosecution’s application, noting that the senator had not been formally served with the charge or hearing notice before the court date. The Federal Government’s lawyer, David Kaswe, stated the charge was served on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer only that morning, which the judge said was insufficient for expecting her presence in court.
Kaswe argued that the senator should have been aware of the arraignment through her counsel, but the judge rejected this, emphasizing that service on a lawyer does not guarantee the defendant’s knowledge.
The court granted the prosecution’s application for substituted service via the senator’s counsel and adjourned the arraignment to June 30.
The defamation suit, initiated by the Director of Public Prosecutions Mohammed Abubakar on behalf of the Federal Government, accuses Akpoti-Uduaghan of making damaging statements on live television on April 3, 2025. The statements implicated Senate President Godswill Akpabio and ex-Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello in a plot to assassinate her and cover it up as a local attack.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s remarks included, “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.”
Further, the senator allegedly made defamatory claims about Akpabio in a phone call on March 27, 2025, stating, “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…”
The Federal Government maintains that these imputations were made knowingly or recklessly, intending to harm the reputations of the complainants. The trial will feature testimonies from Akpabio, Bello, and other witnesses.