A Kogi State High Court has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay N1 billion in damages to former governor Yahaya Bello over a defamation case.
Delivering judgment in suit No. HCL/16/2023, the court ruled in favour of Bello, stating that he successfully established his claims based on the balance of probabilities.
The court found that comments made by the senator during a November 4, 2022 appearance on The Morning Show on Arise TV were defamatory and harmed Bello’s reputation.
It held that referring to the former governor as a “murderer,” “killer,” and “perpetrator of evil acts” was unjustifiable and damaging to his character.
As part of the ruling, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her associates, and agents from making further defamatory statements against Bello across any media platform.
In addition to the injunction, the court awarded N1 billion in damages to the former governor.
The suit, filed in 2023, had earlier faced a jurisdictional challenge from the defence, which argued that it was an abuse of court process. However, Bello’s legal team maintained that similar cases before the FCT High Court did not directly involve him.
The court upheld its jurisdiction, a position later reinforced by the Court of Appeal in appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024, which dismissed the senator’s appeal for lacking merit.