A Kogi State High Court has awarded N1 billion in damages to former governor Yahaya Bello in a defamation case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over remarks made during a television interview.

Court rules interview defamatory

Delivering judgment in the suit marked HCL/16/2023, Justice A. S. Ibrahim held that statements made by the senator during a November 4, 2022 appearance on Arise TV’s “The Morning Show” were defamatory.

The court ruled that describing Bello as a “murderer,” “killer,” and “perpetrator of evil acts” was unjustified and damaging to his reputation.

N1bn damages, injunction granted

Based on the balance of probabilities, the court entered judgment in favour of Bello and awarded ₦1 billion as damages.

It also issued a perpetual injunction restraining Akpoti-Uduaghan, her agents, or associates from making further defamatory statements against the former governor across media platforms.

Legal battle and appeal history

The suit followed Bello’s claim that the senator’s comments tarnished his image.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team had challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the case was an abuse of court process.

However, Bello’s counsel countered the claim, insisting the matter was properly filed. The Court of Appeal later dismissed the senator’s challenge and affirmed the High Court’s authority to hear the case.