A Kogi State High Court has awarded N1 billion in damages to former governor Yahaya Bello in a defamation suit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Delivering judgment in suit No. HCL/16/2023, the court ruled in Bello’s favour on all issues, holding that he successfully established his claims 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 injurious to Bello’s reputation.
It held that describing the former governor as a “murderer,” “killer,” and “perpetrator of evil acts” was unjustifiable and damaging to his character.
As part of its ruling, the court issued a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, as well as her agents and associates, from making further defamatory statements against Bello on any platform.
In addition, the court ordered the payment of N1 billion as damages to the former governor.
The suit, filed in 2023, had earlier faced a jurisdictional objection from the defence, which argued that it constituted an abuse of court process. However, Bello’s legal team maintained that related matters before the FCT High Court did not directly involve him.
The High Court upheld its jurisdiction, a decision later affirmed by the Court of Appeal in appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024, which dismissed the senator’s appeal for lacking merit.