FG Drops Criminal Defamation Charges Against Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
The Federal Government has officially discontinued the criminal defamation and cyberbullying case against the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, putting an end to a legal battle that had drawn intense public and political attention.
The withdrawal was confirmed on Sunday following a telephone conversation with Eseme Eyiboh, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President. According to him, the decision was consistent with Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s earlier directive to withdraw all defamation-related suits he had instituted.
The charges arose from petitions submitted by Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello after Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made comments during a televised appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where she reportedly claimed there were plots to assassinate her.
Eyiboh, while explaining the development, said, “When the Senate President made the decision to withdraw all defamation cases in court, he didn’t say ‘except Natasha’; he said all cases.”
Akpabio had announced on Thursday that he instructed his lawyers to discontinue every defamation suit he filed against individuals, stating that the decision followed advice he received from a priest during a New Year Mass.
Following this directive, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed a Notice of Discontinuance dated December 12, 2025, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, effectively bringing the prosecution to an end. The filing was made under Sections 108(1), 108(2)(a) and 108(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as the inherent powers of the court.
The notice, submitted in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was signed by officials of the Department of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Attorney-General and duly certified by the court. It was entered in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025.
“The Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation intends to discontinue proceedings in this matter,” the notice read.
