Court Orders Senator Natasha Akpoti to Pay N1bn Damages for Defaming Yahaya Bello
Court Orders Senator Natasha Akpoti to Pay N1bn Damages for Defaming Yahaya Bello
The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja has ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages to former governor Yahaya Bello in a defamation suit.
According to the Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered on April 23 in suit HCL/16/2023, Justice A. S. Ibrahim ruled in favour of the claimant after holding that the case was proved on the balance of probabilities.
The court found that an interview granted by the senator on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on November 4, 2022, was defamatory. In the broadcast, she described the former governor as “a m¥rderer, k+ller, perpetrator of ev+l acts, and a t+rror to the people of Kogi State,” which the court said was “without justification” and damaging to his reputation.
The judge also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the senator, her agents, privies, or associates from further publishing or broadcasting any defamatory statements against the claimant on television, radio, or other platforms.
The court further awarded ₦1 billion in damages in favour of Yahaya Bello.
