Court Fixes June 3 For Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Arraignment

THE Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 3 for the arraignment of the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Mrs. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over alleged criminal defamation charges filed against her by the Federal Government.
The arraignment notice, referenced as Suit No. CR/297/25 and signed by court Registrar, Hiradi Dada, schedules proceedings in response to allegations that Akpoti-Uduaghan made defamatory statements implicating Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in an alleged assassination plot.
The Federal Ministry of Justice filed the charges on 16 May 16 through the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF).
According to court filings, the senator is being prosecuted under Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, which criminalises any imputation made with the intent, or with reason to believe, that it could damage another person’s reputation.
According to the Director of the DPPF, M.B. Abubakar, who signed the charge sheet, Akpoti-Uduaghan made the allegation knowingly and aware that her statements could negatively impact the reputations of Akpabio and Bello.
The charges followed a television interview granted by the senator on April 3, claiming that her life was in danger because of the withdrawal of her security details, being conditions attached to her suspension from the senate.
In the excerpts of her interview reproduced in the charges filed against her, Akpoti-Uduaghan was quoted as saying that Akpabio and Bello conspired to assassinate her.
She reportedly said: “… In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me, just ask the senate president why he withdrew my security if not to make me vulnerable to attacks. Mind you, of all the senators, about 109, we all have different stories.
“I have been a high-profile, vulnerable individual because of the nature of politics I have experienced since the year 2018, very violent and dangerous. And I always have my security.
“So, stripping me of my security because I am suspended illegally, actually positions me before attacks.”
Akpabio and Bello have since denied the allegations and filed separate petitions with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
Curiously, the embattled senator’s several petitions do not appear to have been given due attention, a development her legal team has criticised as discriminatory and selective.