A High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay N1 billion in damages to former Governor Yahaya Bello for defamation.
Justice A. S. Ibrahim ruled that the senator’s comments during an Arise TV interview on 4 November 2022 were baseless and damaged Mr Bello’s reputation.
In the broadcast, Ms 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 held that the statements were made without justification.
Mr Bello had sued the senator over the interview. Her counsel, Johnson J. Usman, SAN, challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the suit was an abuse of process given related cases in Abuja.
But Mr Bello’s lawyer, Friday Ekpa, countered that none of the Abuja cases targeted his client’s person.
After the High Court ruled it had jurisdiction, the senator appealed. The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal (No. CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024) for lacking merit, upholding the High Court’s authority.
In a certified judgment dated 23 April, Justice Ibrahim resolved two key issues in favour of the claimant.
The court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her agents, or associates from repeating the defamatory statements on any broadcast platform.
