Drama in Court: Senator Natasha’s Defamation Case Hits Sudden Brick Wall

The defamation trial of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been put on hold due to the ongoing nationwide strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), which began on Monday.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was scheduled to appear before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday. However, the court session was unable to proceed as planned owing to the industrial action.

Her lead counsel, West Idahosa (SAN), confirmed the postponement, explaining that the strike had disrupted court operations. He also stressed that his client remains fully committed to fulfilling all legal obligations.

“As a law-abiding citizen, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will continue to comply with every directive issued by the court,” Idahosa affirmed.

The federal government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mohammed Abubakar, filed criminal defamation charges against the senator on May 16, 2025. The charges allege she made defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

Filed under suit number CR/297/25, the charges are based on remarks allegedly made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a live appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on April 3, 2025.

According to the charge sheet, the senator reportedly said:

“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night — to eliminate me… he then emphasised that I should be killed in Kogi.”

Additionally, the prosecution claims Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio in a private conversation with Dr. Sandra Duru, linking him to alleged organ harvesting involving the late Iniubong Umoren, supposedly for the benefit of Akpabio’s ailing wife.

Both Akpabio, Yahaya Bello, and four unnamed individuals have been listed as key witnesses in the upcoming trial.

With the JUSUN strike causing court closures across the nation, no new date has been scheduled for the resumption of proceedings.