A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has awarded ₦1 billion in damages against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for defaming former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Justice A.S. Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment on April 23, 2026, held that statements made by the senator during a televised interview were injurious to the reputation of the former governor and could not be justified.
The suit, marked HCL/16/2023, stemmed from an appearance by Akpoti-Uduaghan on The Morning Show on Arise TV on November 4, 2022. During the programme, she allegedly made remarks describing Bello in highly damaging terms, including accusing him of violent and criminal conduct.
In his ruling, Justice Ibrahim stated that the court carefully evaluated the issues presented and resolved them in favour of the claimant, concluding that the comments were defamatory and lacked evidentiary backing.
“The interview… is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation,” the judge ruled, noting that the allegations portrayed Bello negatively without proof.
Beyond the monetary award, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her associates, and agents from further publishing or broadcasting similar statements against Bello across media platforms.
The legal battle had earlier featured a challenge to the court’s jurisdiction by defence counsel, Johnson J. Usman (SAN), who argued that the case amounted to an abuse of court process.
However, counsel to the claimant, Friday Ekpa, opposed the objection, insisting that the cases cited by the defence were unrelated to Bello as a person.
The High Court dismissed the objection and affirmed its authority to hear the matter, a position later upheld by the Court of Appeal in suit number CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024. The appellate court ruled that the appeal lacked merit and confirmed the lower court’s jurisdiction.
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