A High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages to former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello over a defamation case.
According to the Certified True Copy of the judgment dated April 23, the court ruled in favour of Bello after considering the evidence presented.
Justice A. S. Ibrahim held that the claims made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a televised interview were defamatory and unjustified.
The case centered on an interview the senator granted on November 4, 2022, on The Morning Show aired on Arise TV.
During the programme, she allegedly described Bello as a “murderer,” “killer,” and a “terror” to the people of Kogi State.
According to Vanguard, the court found that these statements damaged Bello’s reputation and were not supported by credible evidence.
In its judgment, the court resolved all issues in favour of the claimant, stating that the remarks made in the interview amounted to defamation under the law.
Consequently, the court awarded ₦1 billion as damages against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Additionally, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her agents, or associates from making or publishing further defamatory statements about Bello on any media platform, including television and radio.
Earlier in the proceedings, the defendant’s counsel, Johnson J. Usman (SAN), had challenged the jurisdiction of the court, arguing that the suit constituted an abuse of court process.
However, Bello’s counsel, Friday Ekpa, countered the claim, maintaining that the case was properly filed.
The High Court dismissed the jurisdictional objection, and the decision was later upheld by the Court of Appeal, which affirmed that the Lokoja court had the authority to hear the matter.
The ruling marks a significant legal victory for Bello in the long-running dispute
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