Court Grants Natasha N50m Bail in Alleged Defamation Case

Court Grants Natasha N50m Bail in Alleged Defamation Case 

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, has granted bail in the sum of ₦50 million to the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Delivering ruling on Thursday, Justice Chizoba Orji declined the Federal Government’s request to remand the senator in prison pending the outcome of her trial on a three-count charge. The judge held that there was no sufficient justification to deny bail, adding that the defendant had demonstrated readiness to face trial.

In addition to the bail amount, the court ordered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to produce one surety—an individual of integrity who owns landed property within Abuja.

Justice Orji based her decision on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

The case has been adjourned until September 23, 2025, for trial.

The Federal Government is prosecuting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for allegedly making false and defamatory claims during a live television interview. According to the charge, marked CR/297/25, the senator had accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, of plotting to assassinate her.

Prosecutors said the allegations, made on April 3 during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, were damaging and deliberately intended to harm the reputation of the individuals mentioned. The charge cites Sections 391 and 392 of the Penal Code, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.

Among the witnesses listed to testify against her are Senate President Akpabio, former Governor Yahaya Bello, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and one Sandra Duru, along with two police officers—Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba—who investigated the matter.

The criminal charge follows a letter Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier written to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), accusing the police of bias in handling her petitions against the Senate President.

Meanwhile, a separate suit challenging the six-month suspension imposed on her by the Senate is ongoing at the Federal High Court in Abuja, which has fixed June 27 for ruling on its legality.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after a confrontation with Senate President Akpabio during a plenary session on February 20. Following the incident, which involved her repeated attempts to raise a point of order over the arbitrary change of her seating position, the Senate referred her to the Ethics Committee.

In a subsequent interview on February 28, she claimed that her ordeal in the Senate began after she rejected alleged unwanted advances from Akpabio. In her ex-parte motion, she is seeking a court declaration that any disciplinary action taken by the Senate Committee during the pendency of her lawsuit is null and void.

The unfolding legal battle promises to be a high-profile showdown with implications for parliamentary decorum and freedom of expression.

By PRNigeria