A Kogi State High Court in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay N1 billion in damages to former Governor Yahaya Bello for defamation.
The ruling, contained in a Certified True Copy dated April 23 and obtained Friday, found that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s remarks on national television were defamatory and unjustified.
Delivering judgement in suit HCL/16/2023, Justice A. S. Ibrahim held that the senator’s November 4, 2022 interview on Arise TV’s _The Morning Show_ damaged Bello’s character and reputation.
In the interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the former governor as a “murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State.” The court ruled those claims were made “without justification.”
“Based on the preponderance of evidence or balance of probabilities, judgment is entered in favour of the claimant,” Justice Ibrahim stated. Both issues raised for determination were resolved in Bello’s favour.
Beyond the N1 billion award, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents, privies or associates from making further defamatory statements against Bello on TV, radio or any other platform.
Bello had filed the suit alleging defamation of character. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel, Johnson J. Usman, SAN, challenged the court’s jurisdiction and argued the case was an abuse of court process.
Bello’s counsel, Friday Ekpa, countered that none of the cases before the FCT High Court involved Bello personally.
After the High Court ruled it had jurisdiction, Akpoti-Uduaghan appealed. The Court of Appeal, in appeal CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024, dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and affirmed the Kogi High Court’s jurisdiction to hear the matter.
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