The federal government has filed criminal charges against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, over her comments on a live television show.
She was said to have made specific criminal allegations during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
During the interview, she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to have her assassinated.
The charge shows the Federal Republic of Nigeria listed as the complainant in a case filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant. Travel guides
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm a person’s reputation,” citing Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990. The offence is punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
During the interview, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “I am glad you admitted that I am a lawyer, and even if I am not a lawyer, I am a sane individual, and I do stand by what I said. Regarding the meeting or discussion Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night about eliminating 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 had, and I have experienced it since 2018. Very violent and dangerous. And I always have my security. So stripping me of my security because I am suspended illegally, actually, it just positions me before attacks.”
