A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages to former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello in a defamation suit.
Justice A.S. Ibrahim held that comments made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a November 4, 2022 appearance on The Morning Show on Arise News were defamatory and unjustified. The court ruled that Bello successfully proved his case on the balance of probabilities.
The suit centered on statements in which the senator allegedly described Bello as a murderer, killer, and a terror to the people of Kogi State. The court found the remarks injurious to the former governor’s reputation and awarded general damages of ₦1 billion in his favour.
In addition to the damages, the court granted a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents or associates from making further defamatory statements against Bello on television, radio, or related platforms.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has, however, rejected the ruling and said she will challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal, arguing that the court did not properly consider the evidence presented in her defence.
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