Court Rules Out FG’s Request to Put Natasha in Prison.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator for Kogi Central, has been granted N50 million bail by the FCT High Court in Maitama.
The Federal Government’s request to put Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in jail custody was denied by Justice Chizoba Orji.
FCT, Abuja Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator from Kogi Central Senatorial District, has been given N50 million bail.
Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared at the FCT High Court, Maitama, in Abuja for her arraignment on charges of defamation, according to a previous report from Legit.ng.
The accusation was brought by the federal administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu via Mohammed Abubakar, the Federation’s Director of Public Prosecutions.
On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the FCT High Court in Maitama awarded Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan a case regarding alleged slander.
The Federal Government requested that the defendant be placed under remand in jail detention while the case against her was decided, but Justice Chizoba Orji denied their request.
According to Justice Orji, there was no justification for refusing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan bail.
The judge ruled that there was enough proof to support the suspended lawmaker’s willingness to stand trial. However, the court ordered the defendant to provide one surety in addition to the N50 million bail.
The surety needs to be an honest individual who owns a piece of real estate in Abuja.
The judge explained that the ruling is based on section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as section 163 and 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
The court subsequently adjourned the case till September 23, 2025, for trial.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is prosecuting the lawmaker for allegedly making a false claim that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former Governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, were behind plot to assassinate her.
