Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over alleged defamatory remarks made against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate
In the petition dated Wednesday and signed by his lawyer, N.A. Abubakar, Bello urged the police to invite Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide credible evidence backing her claims. Failing that, he called for her arrest and prosecution for criminal defamation, incitement of public disturbance, and spreading false information capable of breaching public peace.
“Where she fails to do so, cause her to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law,” Abubakar wrote.
Bello also, through another lawyer, R.O. Balogun, issued a formal letter to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan demanding a retraction of her statements and a public apology, warning of legal consequences if she fails to comply.
The former governor accused the senator of defaming him during a homecoming event held on April 1, 2025, in Okehi Local Government Area. He alleged that she maliciously accused him of being involved in an assassination plot.
Bello’s legal team referenced Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, stating that her accusations—particularly naming him as a co-conspirator in a purported murder plot disguised as ethnic or mob violence—were deeply damaging.
“By accusing our client of plotting an assassination and naming him as a co-conspirator, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has gravely damaged our client’s reputation by portraying him as a violent and vengeful political actor,” the lawyer wrote.
The petition further claimed the senator misled the public, incited ethnic and political distrust in Kogi Central, and used her parliamentary position to amplify unsubstantiated allegations in a politically sensitive setting.
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 over alleged defamatory remarks made against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate){kind=link}