By Abiola Olawale
The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the Federal Government’s attempt to issue an arrest warrant against suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over a defamation charge.
The ruling was delivered on Monday, June 16, 2025, by the presiding judge, Justice Muhammed Umar.
The ruling came after the Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mohammed Abubakar, sought to detain Akpoti-Uduaghan for failing to appear in court for her arraignment.
The FG’s legal counsel, David Kaswe, during court proceedings on Monday, informed the court that the charge had been served on her lawyer earlier that morning in the courtroom.
However, Kaswe, admitted the charge was only handed to the senator’s lawyer, Jacob Usman (SAN), in the courtroom this morning.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Umar stated that, as the senator had not previously been served with the charge or a hearing notice, it was inconceivable for her to have appeared in court.
The judge then slammed the FG’s application as premature and unjustified.
The New Diplomat reports that the charges stemmed from alleged defamatory statements which Akpoti-Uduaghan purportedly made during a live April 3, 2025, broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where she accused President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her.
The FG argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan knowingly or recklessly made these imputations, fully aware that they could harm the reputation of the individuals involved.
