JUST IN: Court Grants Senator Natasha N50m Bail, Sets Date for Trial

By Arthur Maduka

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has granted bail to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in the sum of N50 million. Justice Chizoba Orji delivered the ruling, rejecting the Federal Government’s request to remand the suspended Kogi Central lawmaker in prison custody pending trial.

Justice Orji said there was no justification to deny Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan bail, citing evidence that she was prepared to face trial. The court also ordered her to produce one surety, described as a person of integrity who owns landed property in Abuja. The ruling was grounded in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

The court fixed September 23 as the date for the commencement of trial.

The Federal Government is prosecuting the senator on a three-count charge of making false and defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. The charge, marked CR/297/25, alleges that she falsely accused both men of plotting to assassinate her during a live appearance on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on April 3.

Prosecutors claim that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made damaging imputations with knowledge that such remarks could harm reputations, an act said to be contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 392.

Those named as witnesses for the prosecution include Senate President Akpabio, ex-Governor Bello, Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong and Sandra Duru, as well as two police investigators, Maya Iliya and Abdulhafiz Garba.

The charges were filed shortly after Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), accusing the police of bias in handling her petition against the Senate President.

Separately, the Federal High Court in Abuja is set to rule on June 27 on the legality of the six-month suspension imposed on the senator by the Senate. Her suspension followed a confrontation with Senate President Akpabio during plenary on February 20 over changes to her seating arrangement. She later alleged on television that her suspension was linked to her rejection of unwanted advances from the Senate President.

In an ex-parte motion, she asked the court to declare any action taken by the Senate Ethics Committee during the pendency of her lawsuit, including the suspension, as null and void.