FG Lists Woman Declared Wanted Since 2016 as Witness in Case Against Senator Natasha

The Nigerian government has named a woman who was declared wanted by police in 2016, Sandra Duru—also known as Prof Mgbeke—as a key witness in its criminal defamation case against suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Duru is listed as the fourth of six prosecution witnesses expected to testify in the trial currently before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Court documents reviewed by SaharaReporters reveal that Duru fled Nigeria after a warrant was issued for her arrest by a Lagos State magistrate court in 2017. She had failed to appear before the court on July 31, 2017, after being granted bail on recognisance in a case involving allegations of obtaining money under false pretence. The court ordered her arrest for failing to meet the terms of her recognisance.

Further legal records dating back to January 2016 show Duru was charged in a separate case with fraud and threats to life. Filed by the Commissioner of Police, the three-count charge alleged that she fraudulently obtained ₦10 million from one Mrs. Edith Adefunke Edidot under false pretence, threatened to kill her within seven days, and also threatened to damage her reputation through text messages. These offences were said to violate multiple sections of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

Despite this criminal history and an active warrant, Duru has now been called as a prosecution witness in the case against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended from the Senate for six months in March after accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. The inclusion of Duru on the witness list has sparked controversy and raised questions about the integrity of the proceedings.

A source familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that it was alarming for someone with an outstanding warrant and fugitive status to be used as a government witness. “There’s an active warrant for her arrest. Yet now, she’s being called as a key witness in a case against someone else. It raises serious questions,” the source said.

The case against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was filed after she accused Senate President Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her. The Nigerian government subsequently charged her with criminal defamation, listing the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Natasha as the sole defendant.

The controversy deepened following the arrest and continued detention of media activist and whistleblower Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike. His family reported that he had been held incommunicado for weeks by officers allegedly acting under the orders of Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun. Akuwudike had publicly claimed he was paid ₦2.5 million by Sandra Duru to create defamatory content aimed at Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, alleging the campaign was financially backed by Senate President Akpabio.

In an interview before his arrest, Akuwudike said he abandoned the project after realising it was a coordinated smear campaign. “Everything she said about Natasha was fabricated lies,” he said.