Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been hit with a N1 billion judgment in a defamation case filed by ex-Kogi Gov. Yahaya Bello.
According to the Certified True Copy of the April 23 ruling, Justice A. S. Ibrahim of a Kogi State High Court found that the balance of probabilities weighed in Bello’s favour.
The Lokoja Court resolved all primary legal disputes in the suit (HCL/16/2023) against the Senator.
“The interview granted by the defendant on 4/11/2022 on Arise TV programme of ‘The Morning Show’ is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation.
“The said interview of 4/11/2022 in which the defendant described the claimant as a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State was without justification.”
The court also gave “an order of perpetual injunction against the Defendant, [his] agents, privies or associates”, restraining them from further issuance of the defamatory statements or words against the claimant on TV or radio stations.
“The sum of one billion naira (N1,000,000,000) only (is) awarded as damages against the Defendant and in favour of the Claimant,” the court said.
Persecondnews recalls that Bello had sued Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan for defamation of character.
The Defendant’s Counsel, Mr. Johnson J. Usman (SAN) had, challenged the jurisdiction of the court, saying that the suit was an abuse of court process.
But Bello’s Counsel, Mr. Friday Ekpa, countered it, saying that none of the cases before the FCT High Court was against the person of Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
After the High Court ruled that it had jurisdiction to entertain the case, Akpoti-Uduaghan appealed the ruling.
The Court of Appeal, in the appeal number, “CA/ABJ/CV/626/2024”, however, dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed that the Kogi State High Court had jurisdiction to entertain the case.
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