By Deborah Nnamdi
Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected a bid by the Federal Government to arrest Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her absence in court regarding defamation charges filed against her.
The request was denied after the government’s lawyer, David Kaswe, acknowledged that the defamation charges were only served on the senator’s legal representative on Monday morning—within the courtroom itself.
Justice Umar noted that since the Kogi Central senator had not been personally served with either the charges or a hearing notice beforehand, her absence in court was justifiable.
As a result, the judge refused to grant the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant for her arrest.
He disagreed with the prosecution’s position that serving the charges on her lawyer should have sufficed to assume she was aware of the proceedings and expected in court.
Following the ruling, the prosecution sought permission to serve the charges on the senator through her counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN). The court approved the request and adjourned the case for arraignment on June 30.
This Federal High Court case mirrors another defamation suit pending at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is being prosecuted for statements made during a televised interview, in which she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello of conspiring to have her assassinated.
The defamation charges were filed by the Nigerian government through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
