Court awards ₦1bn damages against Akpoti-Uduaghan in Yahaya Bello defamation suit
A High Court sitting in Lokoja has awarded a massive ₦1 billion in damages against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The judgment follows a defamation suit filed by the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
The court found that an interview granted by the Senator in November 2022 was defamatory to the former governor’s character. Justice A. S. Ibrahim ruled that the descriptions used during the broadcast were without legal justification.
Defamatory labels lead to massive legal penalty
During the television interview, the defendant reportedly described the former governor using highly inflammatory labels. The court held that these statements caused significant damage to the claimant’s reputation among the people of Kogi State.
“The said interview… is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation,” Justice Ibrahim stated in his judgment. The court noted that the evidence presented by the claimant heavily outweighed the defense provided by the Senator.
Perpetual injunction issued against the Senator
In addition to the financial penalty, the court issued a perpetual injunction against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and her associates. This order restrains her from making further defamatory statements against Yahaya Bello on any media platform.
The defense counsel had previously challenged the court’s jurisdiction, but the Court of Appeal dismissed that challenge as lacking merit. This landmark judgment concludes a long legal battle between the two high-profile political figures.
