Suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has arrived in court for trial over alleged defamation involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The senator arrived in court on Thursday morning, June 19 with her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan right beside her.
The case is linked to comments the senator during a live television programme on April 3, where she accused Akpabio and Bello of being involved in a plot to assassinate her.
Recall that ExpressiveInfo reported that the High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected the Federal Government’s request seeking to arrest her for refusing to appear in court. Read More Here.
The case was brought up on Monday, where the government, through its legal representative, informed the court that the matter was set for arraignment.
The prosecutor claimed the charge had been served to her lawyer, and therefore requested the court to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, however, opposed the request.
He explained that he had only just received the charge in court that morning, and the senator had not personally seen the document or been informed that the matter would be heard that day.
Justice Musa Umar, who presided over the matter, asked the prosecutor if the charge had been directly served on the senator.
When the answer was no, the judge ruled that the request for a bench warrant could not be granted since the defendant had not been properly served.
Instead, the court allowed the charge to be served through her lawyer and fixed June 30 for arraignment.
Meanwhile, armed men, on Tuesday night, June 17, 2025, attacked the family home of the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in Ihima, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident occurred barely two months after a similar attack on the same home.
It was gathered that the armed men had vandalized windows before police officers, community vigilantes and youths repelled the attack.
Spokesperson of the Kogi State Police Command, SP William Aya, who confirmed the incident to Punch on Wednesday, June 18, said one suspect identified as Jose Suberu, was apprehended at the scene of the attack.
