Natasha Akpoti defamation ruling sees Kogi High Court award ₦1bn damages against senator in case filed by Yahaya Bello over TV interview
Justice A. S. Ibrahim of the High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has awarded ₦1 billion in damages against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in a defamation suit filed by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
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The ruling followed a legal dispute arising from an interview the senator granted on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on November 4, 2022, which formed the basis of the claimant’s allegations.
Bello had approached the court, arguing that statements made during the broadcast damaged his reputation.
The senator, through her counsel Johnson J. Usman, SAN, had challenged the court’s jurisdiction, describing the suit as an abuse of process due to related cases in Abuja.
However, counsel to Bello, Friday Ekpa, countered that none of the Abuja cases directly involved the claimant in the same capacity.
The High Court ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear the matter, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal, which dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal for lacking merit.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ibrahim held that the claimant had proven his case on the balance of probabilities and found in his favour.
The court ruled that the statements made during the televised interview were defamatory, noting that descriptions attributed to the claimant were not justified by evidence presented in court.
Justice Ibrahim further issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator and her associates from making further defamatory statements against the claimant across any media platform.
In addition to the injunction, the court awarded ₦1 billion in damages against the senator, describing the amount as appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
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The judgment marks a significant development in the long-running legal battle between both political figures.
