Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over alleged defamatory remarks made against him by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator from Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Bello urged the Nigeria Police Force to ask Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide solid proof to support her accusations against him in the appeal, which was prepared and signed by his attorney, Mr. N.A. Abubakar Esq., and sent to the IGP on Wednesday.
“Where she fails to do so, cause her to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law for criminal defamation, inciting public disturbance and spreading false information injurious to public peace,” the lawyer wrote.
The petition said the utterances made against the former governor were not only false, reckless and inciting, but “they constitute serious criminal defamation, false accusation and incitement to public disorder, all of which are offences under the Nigerian law”.
The former governor has also written to Akpoti-Uduaghan, through his counsels, Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN & Co, demanding retraction and public apology over defamatory statements made against him in two national dailies, or face legal consequences.
“Our client’s attention has been drawn to a most disturbing, damaging and criminally defamatory statement made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, during her public address at a political event tagged ‘Homecoming Rally’ held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Okehi LGA of Kogi State.
“That while addressing attendees at the rally, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan falsely and maliciously uttered the following words in reference to our client: ‘(Senate President Godswill) Akpabio sent for Yahaya Bello. And it was actually Senator Asuquo from Cross River that drove Yahaya Bello from Hilton Hotel.
“I was informed of everything and what I got to know of the meeting was in two folds. He told him to commence my recall and that he was going to fund it – of course, monies changed hands that night.
“The second thing he told him was that he should try and kill me. I didn’t make this public, but I wrote to the IG of Police. Akpabio told Yahaya Bello. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, that it should be done here, so it would seem as if it’s the people that killed me here …’
“That these utterances are not only false, reckless and inciting, but they constitute serious criminal defamation, false accusation and incitement to public disorder, all of which are offences under Nigerian law,” Bello’s lawyer, Abubakar, wrote in the petition to the IGP.
According to him, sending false information or communications over a computer or network with the goal to damage someone else’s reputation is punishable under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
He went on to say that in the case of Akpoti-Uduaghan, she created videos of her remarks that went viral online and are still trending today with the obvious goal of damaging the former governor’s reputation in violation of Sections 114 and 140 of the Penal Code (which applies in Northern Nigeria) that make it illegal to provide false information with the intent to deceive the public or public officials.
“By accusing our client of plotting an assassination and naming him as a co-conspirator in a purported murder plot (with an attempt to disguise the killing as mob or ethnic violence), Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has:
“Gravely damaged our client’s reputation by portraying him as a violent and vengeful political actor and misled the public and tried to incite ethnic and political distrust, especially among clans of Ebiraland in particular and the people of Kogi Central in general.
“Brought his name into disrepute on the basis of an allegation so weighty that, if left unchallenged, could harm his political career and personal safety; and abused her parliamentary status and platform by propagating such falsehoods without evidence, in a very public and politically charged setting,” the solicitor said.
He added, “Our client states that he has long considered Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as unhinged and apparently possessed of a schizophrenic disorder, characterized by manic narcissism, wild hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and an incurable incontinence with emotions and social interactions – hence his patient indulgence of her in the past while he was Governor in Kogi State when he restrained himself many times from seeking legal redress even though she frequently harassed him in the media with all sorts of horrible and damaging lies.
“Our client, however, asserts that he has long ended his stewardship of Kogi State as Governor and moved on to other pursuits – and that he no longer feels the same duty of paternalistic indulgence which he had for all Kogites as his citizens while in Office, and still exhibits till today, hence his insistence on full redress for her (Akpoti-Uduaghan’s) current accusations which, as usual, are totally fabricated and utterly baseless.”
He urged the IGP to expedite action on the petition, stating that “failure to act in the circumstances of these egregious offences by Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan will embolden others to also weaponise political platforms for dangerous falsehoods and criminal misrepresentation, especially with an eye to gaining dishonest advantage over opponents, thus endangering our democracy.”
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According to him, this is necessary “to preserve public order, safeguard the integrity of public discourse and protect innocent persons from targeted smear campaigns that can endanger lives or destabilise the peace of the state and nation.”
Bello’s lawyers, led by Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN, in a separate letter written to the embattled senator, said, “We hereby demand, on behalf of our client, the following:
“That you issue a formal retraction of the said defamatory statements, to be published in two national dailies.
“That you cease and desist from making any further defamatory statements concerning him, whether directly or by innuendo, and whether published in print, electronic or social media platforms.
“That you comply in terms of the foregoing within fourteen days of the service of this letter on you.
“TAKE NOTICE that failure, refusal or neglect to comply with the above demands within the period of FOURTEEN DAYS (14) from the date this Letter is served on you, our client will set the necessary machinery in motion to initiate both civil and criminal proceedings against you without further notice.”
