FG Drags Senator Natasha to Court Over TV Interview
The Kogi Central senator faces defamation charges over claims Akpabio and Bello plotted her assassination, with both expected as witnesses.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing legal action brought by the federal government over allegations she made during a television interview, accusing senior political figures of plotting to have her killed.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has been named as the sole defendant in a suit filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court on 16 May.
The case centres on comments made by the senator during a live broadcast in which she alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello had conspired to assassinate her.
In the interview, she questioned why her official security detail had been withdrawn and claimed there had been a plan for her to be “killed in Kogi.”
Prosecutors say her statements were defamatory and in violation of Nigeria’s Penal Code. She is charged under Section 391, which covers imputations intended to harm a person’s reputation, and carries penalties under Section 392.
Both Mr Akpabio and Mr Bello are expected to appear as witnesses during the trial.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has not publicly responded to the charges.
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