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Grants Suspended Lawmaker N50m Bail
- Safiu Kehinde
A High Court siting in Maitama, Abuja, has rejected the Federal Government’s request to remand suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in prison over the defamation suit filed against her.
NPO earlier Reported Natasha’s arrival at the court’s premises on Thursday morning for the hearing of the three-counts defamation charge filed against her by the FG on behalf of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Natasha arrived at the court in the company of her husband as well as her supporter led by former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, and human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu.
Meanwhile, the court at the presided over by judge Chizoba Orji rejected the federal government’s application to remand Akpoti-Uduaghan in prison as it granted the embattled lawmaker N50 million bail.
Justice Orji ruled that there is no valid reason for the court to deny Natasha bail.
He noted that there was enough evidence to show she is prepared to stand trial.
The court however directed Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide one surety who must be a person of integrity and own landed property in Abuja.
It adjourned the hearing of the case till the 23rd of September 2025.
Following the court’s ruling, Akpoti-Udughan’s supporters went into wild jubilation.
The supporters, as captured in a post shared on X, could be seen singing victory song as they stepped out of the court’s premises.
In one of the counts contained in the charge against Natasha, the FG had accused the suspended Senator of making an imputation concerning Akpabio, at a television interview where she alleged the Senate President had with Yahaya Bello plotted to eliminate her.
“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 emphasized that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.” She had said.
In count two, Akpoti-Uduaghan was accused of “Making an imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same Law.