By Peter Omopo
Abuja, June 30, 2025 — The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan bail on self-recognition after she was arraigned on Monday over a six-count charge related to alleged cybercrime.
The senator, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against her by the prosecution.
According to the charge sheet, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making false and defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
One of the statements cited in the charge alleged that: “Akpabio told Yahaya Bello… that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, it should be done in Kogi, so it will seem as if it is the people that killed me.”
She reportedly repeated this claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, stating: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night… to eliminate me.”
Following her plea, the court granted her bail on self-recognition, a privilege often extended to public figures with no prior criminal record. The trial is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
