The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday granted bail to the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the sum of ₦50 million.
Justice Chizoba Orji, who presided over the case, ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan must also produce one surety — a person of reasonable integrity who resides in the FCT and owns landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
The bail ruling followed arguments from both the prosecution and defense teams regarding the senator’s bail application.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a three-count criminal charge filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. The charges accuse her of making defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
According to the charge sheet (marked CR/297/25), the allegations stem from comments made during a live appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television program, on April 3, 2025.
During the broadcast, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly stated that Akpabio and Bello conspired to have her assassinated, saying:
“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 emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.”
In another portion of the broadcast, she is said to have claimed that both men held a meeting where her elimination was allegedly discussed.
In a separate instance cited in the charges, Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made a phone call to one Sandra C. Duru on March 27, 2025, during which she claimed that a deceased woman’s organs were used for Akpabio’s ailing wife.
“That girl that was killed, what’s her name, umm… Imoren Iniubong, her organs were actually used for the wife…”
The prosecution argues that these statements were made knowingly or recklessly, with the intent or likelihood of damaging the reputations of the individuals mentioned.
Senate President Akpabio, former Governor Yahaya Bello, and four other individuals are listed as witnesses in the ongoing case.
