The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja has mandated Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to pay ₦1 billion in damages to former governor Yahaya Bello following a defamation lawsuit.
In a judgment delivered on April 23 in case number HCL/16/2023, Justice A. S. Ibrahim ruled in favor of Bello, stating that the evidence met the required standard of proof.
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The court determined that remarks made by the senator during an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on November 4, 2022, were defamatory.
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She had labeled Bello as “a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State,” a characterization the court deemed “unjustified” and harmful to his reputation.
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Additionally, the judge issued a perpetual injunction preventing the senator, her representatives, or associates from making any further defamatory statements against Bello on any media platforms.
As a result, the court ordered the award of ₦1 billion in damages to Yahaya Bello.

