posted 22nd May 2025
Nigerian Government Charges Senator Natasha Over Assassination Plot Claims
Abuja, Nigeria – The Nigerian government has initiated criminal proceedings against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of making defamatory statements during a television interview. The charges stem from allegations she made on Channels Television’s Politics Today on 3 April 2025, where she claimed Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello conspired to assassinate her.
According to the charge sheet filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, obtained by SaharaReporters, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant, with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as the sole defendant. The government alleges that the senator violated Section 391 of the Penal Code Law, Cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990, by “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person.” The offence carries penalties under Section 392 of the same law.
During the televised interview, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stated, “I do stand by what I said. In respect to the meeting or discussion Akpabio had [with] Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me.” She further questioned why her security detail was withdrawn, alleging it was a deliberate act to make her vulnerable. “Just ask the Senate President why did he withdraw my security if not to make me vulnerable to attacks,” she said, referencing her suspension from the Senate, which she described as “illegal.”
This is not the first time the senator has raised concerns about her safety. At a homecoming rally in Kogi State prior to the TV interview, she alleged that Akpabio had instructed Bello to orchestrate her assassination, claiming the act should occur outside Abuja to deflect suspicion. “Akpabio told Yahaya Bello to kill me. He told him to make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja. It should be done here. So it will seem as if the people killed me here,” she claimed, adding that she had informed the police.
The senator’s allegations come amid ongoing controversies in the Nigerian Senate, including her prior accusations of sexual harassment against Akpabio. Following those claims, she was suspended for six months, a decision the Senate attributed to “misconduct” rather than her accusations.
