A Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja has awarded ₦1 billion in damages against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in a defamation suit filed by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has, however, rejected the judgment, declaring her intention to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
The senator’s decision to appeal the judgment was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja by her media aide, Mike Idoko.
The judgment, delivered by Justice A. S. Ibrahim in suit number HCL/16/2023, stemmed from comments made by the senator during a live appearance on The Morning Show on Arise Television on November 4, 2022.
The remarks, which included serious allegations against the former governor, became the basis of the legal dispute.
In his decision, Justice Ibrahim held that the statements made by the defendant were injurious to the claimant’s character and reputation and were not justified by the evidence presented before the court.
He noted that all issues formulated for determination were resolved in favour of the claimant.
“The interview granted by the defendant on 4/11/2022 on Arise TV programme ‘The Morning Show’ is defamatory to the claimant’s character and reputation.
“The said interview in which the defendant described the claimant as a murderer, killer, perpetrator of evil acts, and a terror to the people of Kogi State was without justification,” the judge ruled.
