A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama has struck out the criminal charges filed by the federal government against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central. The charges were withdrawn following a notice of discontinuance by the prosecution.
The presiding judge, Chizoba Orji, struck out the suit on Thursday after counsel to the senator, West Idahosa, applied for the case to be discontinued. He also requested the release of all documents belonging to the defendant and her sureties, a move that was not opposed by the prosecution.
The court subsequently discharged the sureties and ordered that all their documents be returned. Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned in June 2025 on a three-count charge of criminal defamation, filed on May 16, 2025, under suit number CR/297/25.
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The federal government was listed as the complainant, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello named as nominal complainants. The charges were brought under section 391 of the Penal Code, relating to imputations intended to harm a person’s reputation.
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