Justice Musa Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected a request by the Federal Government to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was absent at the start of her defamation trial.
The case, brought by the federal government on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, stems from comments Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly made during a live television appearance on April 3, 2025, in which she accused the two men of plotting to assassinate her.
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At Monday’s hearing, prosecuting counsel David Kaswe informed the court that the matter was fixed for arraignment, but the defendant failed to appear. He argued that because the charge had been served on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer earlier that morning, she was aware of the proceedings and deliberately stayed away, the court should issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
However, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel, Jacob Usman (SAN), countered that the application was improper and made in bad faith. He explained that he received the charge at 9:15 a.m. that same morning at the court premises, and that his client could not have been expected to attend the hearing without having first seen or been formally served the charge. Usman described the prosecution’s request as “strange” and urged the court to reject it.
Justice Umar agreed with the defence, noting that it would be inappropriate to order Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arrest since she had not been personally served with the charge. He further denied the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant and instead granted their request for substituted service through her counsel before adjourning the case to June 30, 2025.
