Showdown In Kogi! Yahaya Bello Moves Against Senator Natasha, Demands Legal Action Over Allegations

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello Petitions IGP, Demands Legal Action Against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Over Alleged Defamation....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has formally petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), calling for the prosecution of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, over alleged defamatory and inciting statements made against him.

In the petition filed through his legal counsel, N.A. Abubakar, on Wednesday, Bello urged the Nigeria Police Force to summon the suspended senator to provide credible evidence supporting her claims. Should she fail to do so, the petition demanded her immediate arrest and prosecution for criminal defamation, incitement, and the dissemination of false information capable of disturbing public peace.

Describing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s comments as false, inflammatory, and reputationally damaging, Bello’s petition stated that her remarks amounted to a criminal act under Nigerian law.

Separately, Bello’s legal team, led by Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN & Co., issued a demand letter to the senator, seeking a public retraction and apology for alleged defamatory statements she made—statements which were subsequently published in two national newspapers.

The legal team referenced a specific speech delivered by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan at a political gathering tagged the “Homecoming Rally,” held on April 1, 2025, in Okehi Local Government Area. During the event, the senator reportedly alleged:

“(Senate President Godswill) Akpabio sent for Yahaya Bello. And it was actually Senator Asuquo from Cross River that drove Yahaya Bello from Hilton Hotel.
I was informed of everything… Akpabio told Yahaya Bello to commence my recall and promised funding—it’s true that money exchanged hands that night.
The second thing he told him was to kill me. I didn’t say this publicly, but I wrote to the IGP. Akpabio told Yahaya Bello the killing should not happen in Abuja, but here, so it would look like the people killed me…”

Bello’s lawyers described the statements as malicious and an attempt to paint him as a dangerous political figure. They accused the senator of intentionally inciting ethnic and political tension within Kogi Central, particularly among various Ebira clans.

Citing Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, the petition further noted that the senator’s public dissemination of the speech—particularly through video content shared online—violates federal laws against the spread of false information intended to harm reputations and incite conflict.

“By accusing our client of plotting assassination and portraying him as part of a murder conspiracy disguised as communal violence, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has seriously defamed our client and stirred ethnic and political unrest among the people of Kogi Central,” the legal team stated.