FG Slams Criminal Charges on Senator Natasha Over Assassination Claim
The Federal Government has initiated criminal proceedings against suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central following statements she made during a televised interview, in which she alleged a conspiracy to assassinate her.
The charges focus on claims that the senator made inflammatory and defamatory remarks during her appearance on a live broadcast of Politics Today, aired on Channels Television on April 3, 2025. During the program, she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to have her killed.
Court documents reveal that the case, designated CR/297/25, was filed on May 16, 2025, at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan listed as the sole defendant.
According to legal filings reviewed by BusinessDay in Abuja, the federal government has brought the case before the FCT High Court, identifying the senator as the primary accused.
The prosecution alleges that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan knowingly made grave accusations against Senate President Akpabio and former Governor Bello during the broadcast, suggesting their involvement in an assassination plot. Prosecutors argue that her remarks were intended to damage the reputations of both officials.
The charges are grounded in Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, with penalties provided under Section 392.
A key statement cited in the charge sheet reads: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me.”
Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), filed the charge sheet, alleging that Akpoti-Uduaghan made multiple defamatory remarks targeting high-ranking political figures.
Further statements attributed to her during the same interview include: “Let’s ask the Senate President why he withdrew my security in the first place, if not to expose me to danger. He stressed that I should be killed, but only in Kogi.”
She also reportedly said: “What matters most to me is staying alive—because once I’m dead, no one can speak for me or seek justice.”
The prosecution maintains that the senator either knew or ought to have known that such comments would seriously damage the reputations of those named, thereby violating Section 391 of the Penal Code.
The second charge concerns additional statements directed at former Governor Yahaya Bello. During the same Politics Today appearance, she allegedly said: “It was part of the discussions Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night—to have me eliminated. He insisted I should be killed, and specifically in Kogi.”
Prosecutors contend that these remarks were made with the knowledge that they would tarnish Bello’s public image.
In addition to the televised comments, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making defamatory claims during a phone call with Sandra C. Duru around March 27, 2025. In that call, she allegedly stated: “That girl who was killed—Iniubong Umoren—her organs were used for the wife, because the wife was very ill… when they killed the girl, her organs were used for the wife.”
The prosecution argues that this statement was intended to implicate Senator Akpabio and further damage his reputation.
These allegations form the basis of the criminal case brought by federal prosecutors, with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan facing charges as the sole defendant.
