Federal Gov’t Slams Fresh Cybercrime Charge Against Kogi Central Senator Natasha

Federal Gov’t Slams Fresh Cybercrime Charge Against Kogi Central Senator Natasha

The Federal Government has slammed the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, with a fresh criminal charge, sparking outrage among legal experts and human rights advocates who said the move reflected a pattern of forum shopping and targeted harassment.

The new charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/195/25, was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on May 22, 2025, just weeks after a similar charge, CR/297/25, was instituted at the FCT High Court. Both charges were based on the same set of comments allegedly made by the female Senator, which the government claimed were damaging to the reputations of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello.

While the case before the FCT High Court is premised on Section 392 of the Penal Code, which deals with criminal defamation, the Federal High Court charge is filed under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act, 2024 (as amended). The government alleged that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made online statements that “could damage the public image” of Akpabio and Bello.

The Senator has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and designed to intimidate opposition voices.

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The filing of parallel charges in different courts has triggered accusations of forum shopping, controversial legal tactic where litigants file identical or similar suits in multiple courts to increase their chances of securing a favourable ruling.

“This is a textbook example of forum shopping,” a senior legal analyst said. “You don’t charge a person for the same offence in two separate courts just because you hope one will convict.”

Critics argued that this approach not only clogs the judiciary with duplicative cases but also undermines due process and the constitutional right to a fair trial.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is expected to appear before the Federal High Court for arraignment on June 30, 2025, following her earlier bail granted by the FCT High Court on June 19, 2025.

Observers say the use of both cybercrime and criminal defamation laws to prosecute what amounts to free speechsignals a worrisome trend.

Globally, defamation is increasingly treated as a civil, not criminal, matter. Within Nigeria, several states, including Lagos, Delta, Edo, and Ekiti have abolished criminal defamation laws, arguing that the offence is more about protecting personal reputation than punishing dissent or criticism of public officials.

Human rights groups and legal practitioners have condemned the charges against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as a deliberate attempt to intimidate critics and suppress freedom of expression.

“This isn’t about protecting reputations,” said a legal rights advocate. “It’s about silencing a vocal woman in public office who refuses to toe the line.”