Court awards Yahaya Bello N1bn in defamation suit against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

A HIGH Court in Lokoja has ordered Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, to pay N1 billion in damages to former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, over defamatory remarks.

Justice A.S. Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, April 23, held that the claimant established his case on the balance of probabilities and was entitled to damages.

The case, filed as HCL/16/2023, arose from statements made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during her appearance on The Morning Show, aired on Arise TV on November 4, 2022.

In the ruling, the court found that her remarks, where she allegedly described Bello as a ‘murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State,’ were defamatory and could not be justified.

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According to the judge, the interview damaged the claimant’s character and reputation, noting that the allegations lacks supporting evidence.

The court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents, and associates from making further defamatory statements against Bello through broadcast media.

Justice Ibrahim further ordered that N1 billion be paid as damages to the claimant. Bello had approached the court, arguing that the statements had harmed his reputation.

During proceedings, defence counsel, Johnson Usman, challenged the court’s jurisdiction, describing the suit as an abuse of court process. However, Bello’s lawyer, Friday Ekpa, argued that related matters before the Federal Capital Territory High Court did not involve Bello in his personal capacity.

The Lokoja High Court had earlier affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the case, a decision later upheld by the court of appeal, which dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal for lacking merit.