Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, has petitioned Kayode Egbetokun, inspector normal of police (IGP), over alleged defamatory statements made in opposition to him by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator representing Kogi Central within the Nationwide Meeting.
Within the petition, written and signed by his solicitor, N.A. Abubakar, to the IGP on Wednesday, Bello referred to as on the Nigeria P
police to ask Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to substantiate her allegation in opposition to him with credible proof.
“The place she fails to take action, trigger her to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the legislation for prison defamation, inciting public disturbance and spreading false info injurious to public peace,” the lawyer wrote.
He mentioned that the utterances made in opposition to the previous governor weren’t solely false, ‘reckless and inciting,’ noting that “they represent severe prison defamation, false accusation and incitement to public dysfunction, all of that are offences below the Nigerian legislation.”
The previous governor has additionally written to Akpoti-Uduaghan, by way of his counsels, R.O. Balogun, SAN & Co, demanding retraction and public apology over defamatory statements made in opposition to him in two nationwide dailies, or face authorized penalties.
“Our Shopper’s consideration has been drawn to a most annoying, damaging and criminally defamatory assertion made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, throughout her public tackle at a political occasion tagged ‘Homecoming Rally’ held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Okehi LGA of Kogi State.
“That whereas addressing attendees on the rally, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan falsely and maliciously uttered the next phrases in reference to our consumer: ‘(Senate President Godswill) Akpabio despatched for Yahaya Bello. And it was really Senator Asuquo from Cross River that drove Yahaya Bello from Hilton Resort.
“I used to be knowledgeable of every little thing and what I acquired to know of the assembly was in two folds. He informed him to start my recall and that he was going to fund it – in fact, monies modified arms that night time.
“The second factor he informed him was that he ought to try to kill me. I didn’t make this public, however I wrote to the IG of Police. Akpabio informed Yahaya Bello. He informed him that he ought to guarantee that killing me doesn’t occur in Abuja, that it needs to be finished right here, so it will appear as if it’s the those that killed me right here …’
“That these utterances will not be solely false, reckless and inciting, however they represent severe prison defamation, false accusation and incitement to public dysfunction, all of that are offences below Nigerian legislation,” Bello’s lawyer mentioned.
He mentioned Part 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, And so forth.) Act, 2015, penalises an individual who knowingly or deliberately sends false messages or info by way of a pc or community prone to trigger hurt to the repute of one other individual.
He added that Akpoti-Uduaghan prompted movies of her above assertion to be extensively circulated on-line the place it has continued to development until date with the clear intention of inflicting hurt to the repute of the previous governor in opposition to Sections 114 and 140 of the Penal Code (relevant in Northern Nigeria) – which criminalises giving false info with intent to mislead public officers or the general public.
“By accusing our consumer of plotting an assassination and naming him as a co-conspirator in a purported homicide plot (with an try and disguise the killing as mob or ethnic violence), Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has:
“Gravely broken our consumer’s repute by portraying him as a violent and vengeful political actor and misled the general public and tried to incite ethnic and political mistrust, particularly amongst clans of Ebiraland particularly and the individuals of Kogi Central on the whole.
“Introduced his identify into disrepute on the premise of an allegation so weighty that, if left unchallenged, might hurt his political profession and private security; and abused her parliamentary standing and platform by propagating such falsehoods with out proof, in a really public and politically charged setting,” the solicitor mentioned.
He urged the IGP to expedite motion on the petition, stating that “failure to behave within the circumstances of those egregious offences by Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan will embolden others to additionally weaponise political platforms for harmful falsehoods and prison misrepresentation, particularly with an eye fixed to gaining dishonest benefit over opponents, thus endangering our democracy.”
Based on him, that is mandatory “to protect public order, safeguard the integrity of public discourse and defend harmless individuals from focused smear campaigns that may endanger lives or destabilise the peace of the state and nation.”
Bello’s attorneys, led by R.O. Balogun, SAN, in a separate letter written to the embattled senator requested her to subject a proper retraction of the mentioned defamatory statements, to be revealed in two nationwide dailies.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is presently in courtroom with Godswill Akpabio over a case of sexual harassment. She is on a six-month suspension from the Senate over an alleged misconduct.
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