Defamation Case: Yahaya Bello Wins as Court Slams Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with N1bn Damages

A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay N1 billion in damages to former Governor Yahaya Bello over a defamation case.

According to a Certified True Copy of the judgment dated April 23 and obtained on Friday, the court ruled that statements made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a televised interview were defamatory and lacked justification.
Justice A. S. Ibrahim, who delivered the judgment in suit HCL/16/2023, held that comments made by the senator during her November 4, 2022 appearance on Arise TV’s The Morning Show harmed Bello’s reputation and character.
During the interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan had described Bello as a “murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State.” The court determined that these allegations were made without sufficient justification.
In his ruling, Justice Ibrahim stated that, based on the balance of probabilities and evidence presented, judgment was entered in favour of Bello, with both issues for determination resolved in his favour.
In addition to the N1 billion damages, the court granted a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents, associates, or privies from making further defamatory statements against Bello through any media platform, including television and radio.
Bello had instituted the suit on grounds of defamation of character. Counsel to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Johnson J. Usman, SAN, had challenged the court’s jurisdiction and argued that the suit constituted an abuse of court process.
However, Bello’s counsel, Friday Ekpa, argued that none of the related cases before the FCT High Court directly involved Bello.
Following the High Court’s decision affirming its jurisdiction, Akpoti-Uduaghan appealed the ruling. The Court of Appeal, in case CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024, dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and upheld the jurisdiction of the Kogi State High Court to hear the matter.