Prosecutor Insists Senator Natasha Violated Criminal Laws in Remarks Against Akpabio and Bello

Lawyers representing Nigeria’s top legal officer have argued in court that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan went against key rules on harmful statements when she levelled serious claims against Senate leader Godswill Akpabio and ex-Kogi State head Yahaya Bello, urging judges to dismiss her bid to throw out the case.

The fresh pushback came during a court session on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja’s Maitama area, where Akpoti-Uduaghan’s team sought to block the charges by questioning the fairness of how the case was brought forward.

Back in June, the senator from Kogi Central stood trial on three points of spreading false and damaging words. She firmly denied any wrongdoing. The matter traces back to her public finger-pointing at Akpabio and Bello over a supposed plot to end her life, along with linking Akpabio to the tragic end of a young woman named Iniobong Umoren.

Her defence lawyers, headed by a top legal expert, claimed the whole prosecution was a misuse of power by the Attorney General’s office. They called it a basic flaw that strips the court of its right to hear the matter at all.

In their written reply, officials from the Attorney General’s office pushed back hard. They said the three points stood firm under Nigeria’s main criminal rules and came from a straight use of the top legal officer’s duties as laid out in the nation’s guiding document from 1999, all to serve fairness and the wider good.

They explained that police had dug deep into the complaints, looking at every side, before filing the charges. The office only stepped in after weighing the public’s needs, the call for true justice, and the risk of twisted legal steps. They added that the case lined up perfectly with current laws and did not bend any rules on how prosecutions should run.

The defence lead told the court it was a core issue about whether the bench could even take the case, not about the details of what she said. He noted they had not yet got the full written answer from the other side and planned to add more facts once it landed. He also asked for a longer break to join a global lawyers’ meet in Canada.

The lead lawyer for the prosecution agreed to a short pause, saying it would not be right to press on when the other team wanted time to reply properly. The judge, after listening to both, set the next date for 1 December to let everything get sorted fairly.

The case, listed as FCT/HC/CR/297/25, focuses on claims that Akpoti-Uduaghan knew her words would hurt the standing of Akpabio and Bello by saying they teamed up to take her out, and that Akpabio had a role in Umoren’s passing. Her own reports to officials had been checked out, leading to separate charges against a fellow lawmaker.

This ongoing row shows the sharp divides in national politics, where sharp words often end up in legal fights over honour and clout.