Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello and Senator Natasha Akpoti
Kogi State High Court has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages to former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, following a defamation case.
In a judgment delivered on April 23, Justice A. S. Ibrahim ruled in favour of Bello, holding that the claims against the senator were established on the balance of probabilities. The decision was contained in a Certified True Copy of the ruling in suit number HCL/16/2023.
The court found that comments made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during an appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on November 4, 2022, were defamatory. During the broadcast, she had described the former governor as “a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State.”
Justice Ibrahim held that the statements were made without justification and had caused reputational damage to the claimant.
Beyond the monetary award, the court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, as well as her agents and associates, from making or disseminating further defamatory statements against Bello across any media platform.
The ₦1 billion award represents damages granted in favour of the former governor for the harm caused by the publication.
