The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has turned down a request by the Federal Government to issue an arrest warrant against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The court’s decision came on Monday after the lawmaker failed to appear for arraignment over an alleged criminal defamation charge.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Muhammed Umar ruled that the application for a bench warrant was without merit since Senator Natasha had not been served the court summons before the hearing. According to the judge, it would be unfair to expect the senator to appear in court when she had not been officially notified of the date or the charge.
The prosecution, led by government lawyer David Kaswe, argued that Natasha’s lawyer had been served the charge earlier that day inside the courtroom, suggesting that should have been enough. However, Justice Umar disagreed, noting that legal service on a representative during court proceedings cannot be considered proper notice to the defendant.
Following the ruling, the prosecution applied for substituted service, requesting the court’s permission to serve the documents through Natasha’s legal representative, Johnson Usman. The judge approved the application and scheduled the senator’s arraignment for June 30.
The case stems from a criminal complaint filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, who acted on behalf of the Federal Government. In the suit, Senator Natasha is the sole defendant, accused of making defamatory remarks during a live interview.
According to the FG, the senator made serious allegations during an appearance on Politics Today, aired on Channels Television on April 3, 2025. In her statement, she reportedly claimed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello conspired to have her killed. The charge alleges she said:
“Let’s ask the Senate President, why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks? He then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi. What is important to me is to stay alive, because dead men tell no tales. Who is going to get justice for me?”
The government notes that such statements could damage the reputations of Akpabio and Bello. The charge further quotes another part of the same interview where she claimed a secret meeting between both men was held to plan her assassination.
In addition, Natasha is also accused of making another harmful statement about Senate President Akpabio during a phone call with Sandra C. Duru on March 27, 2025. The statement, according to the prosecution, suggested organ trafficking in relation to the tragic death of a young woman named Iniubong Umoren.
“That girl that was killed, what’s her name, umm Imoren Iniubong, her organs were actually used for the wife, because the wife was really ill… when they killed the girl, and her organs were used for the wife.”
The Federal Government argues that Natasha knew, or should have known, that these statements could damage the public image and personal reputation of the people involved.
