The Nigerian government has filed criminal charges against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following her public claims of an assassination plot against her on national television.
One of the charges relates to statements she made during a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025, in which she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of planning to have her killed.
The Federal Government made allegations in the charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar.
The charge lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant in a case filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant.
The government alleges that the Senator committed an offence under Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, for “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person.” This offence is punishable under Section 392 of the same law.
During the interview, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “I am glad you did admit that I am a lawyer, and even if I am not a lawyer, I am a sane individual, and I do stand by what I said. In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had [with] Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me. Just ask the Senate President why did he withdraw my security if not to make me vulnerable to attacks….
“Of all the senators, about 109, we all have different stories. I have been a high-profiled, vulnerable individual because of the nature of politics I have had since 2018. Very violent and dangerous. And I always have my security.
“So stripping me of my security because I am suspended illegally, actually it just positions me before attacks.”
This was not the first time Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns about threats to her life from powerful political figures.
Weeks before the interview, at a homecoming rally in Kogi State, she alleged that Senate President Akpabio first reached out to Governor Ododo to recall her but, after Ododo declined, Akpabio turned to Yahaya Bello.
She claimed, “Akpabio told Yahaya Bello to kill me. Akpabio told him to make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja. It should be done here. So it will seem as if the people killed me here. I didn’t make that public, but we did notify the police about it.”
These accusations come amid ongoing controversies within the Nigerian Senate, including allegations of sexual harassment, security intimidation, and suppression of dissent.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment but was later suspended for six months on grounds of “misconduct” unrelated to her claims.
The government accused the embattled senator of accusing Akpabio, saying: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me.
In count two, Akpoti-Uduaghan was accused of “making an imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, and punishable under Section 392 of the same Law.”
She was also accused of having, on or about March 27, 2025, during a two-way telephone conversation with one Sandra C. Duru in Abuja, made the following imputation concerning Senator Akpabio, to wit:
“That girl that was killed, what’s her name, umm Imoren Iniubong, her organs were actually used for the wife, because the wife was really ill… when they killed the girl, and her organs were used for the wife.
“You knew or had reason to believe that such imputation would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio.”
