A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages in a defamation suit instituted by former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Suit No. HCL/16/2023, Justice A. S. Ibrahim held that the claimant successfully proved his case on the balance of probabilities.
The court found that statements made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on November 4, 2022, were defamatory and capable of injuring the reputation of the former governor.
In the said broadcast, the senator had made remarks against Bello which the court described as unsubstantiated and damaging, holding that they exposed him to public ridicule and lowered his reputation in the estimation of reasonable members of society.
READ ALSO: Alleged Defamation: Yahaya Bello Petitions IGP, Demands Arrest of Senator Natasha
Justice Ibrahim ruled that the publication, aired on national television, was not justified and amounted to defamation, having failed the legal test of fair comment and justification.
Consequently, the court awarded ₦1 billion in general damages in favour of Yahaya Bello.
The court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents, privies, or associates from further publishing, repeating, or causing to be published any defamatory statements against the former governor across all media platforms, including television, radio, print, and digital channels.
The ruling brings closure at the trial court level to a high-profile political defamation dispute.