A High Court sitting in Lokoja has awarded N1bn in damages to former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, in a defamation suit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The judgment, delivered by Justice A. S. Ibrahim in suit number HCL/16/2023, was dated April 23, 2026, according to the Certified True Copy obtained on Friday.
The court held that the claimant proved his case based on the balance of probabilities, resolving all issues for determination in his favour.
Justice Ibrahim ruled that statements made by the defendant during a November 4, 2022 appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television were defamatory and damaging to Bello’s reputation.
The judge specifically noted that the senator’s description of the former governor as a murderer, killer, and a terror to the people of Kogi State was unjustified.
The court further granted a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, her agents and associates from making or publishing further defamatory statements against the claimant on broadcast platforms.
In addition to the restraining order, the court awarded N1bn as damages against Akpoti-Uduaghan in favour of Bello.
Bello had approached the court, alleging that the remarks made during the television interview tarnished his image and sought redress.
During proceedings, counsel to the defendant, Johnson J. Usman (SAN), challenged the jurisdiction of the court, describing the suit as an abuse of court process.
However, Bello’s counsel, Friday Ekpa, countered the argument, insisting that no similar case involving the claimant was pending before the FCT High Court.
The trial court upheld its jurisdiction, a decision later appealed by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In its ruling in appeal number CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and affirmed that the Kogi State High Court had the competence to hear the case.