In a courtroom charged with political undertones and legal precision, the Federal High Court in Abuja refused on Monday to grant the Federal Government’s request for the arrest of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over allegations of criminal defamation.
The case, brought by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, stems from a fiery television interview where Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting her assassination.
But as the courtroom convened for her expected arraignment, the senator was notably absent.
The prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe, swiftly moved to request a bench warrant for her arrest.
His argument: service of the charge on her counsel that very morning was enough to compel her presence.
Justice Muhammed Umar was unconvinced. “It would be unjust,” the judge said, “to expect a defendant to appear in court without having been personally served or properly notified.”
He stressed that in criminal cases, especially those threatening personal liberty, the law demands strict adherence to procedural fairness.
The courtroom fell into a brief silence, broken only when Justice Umar described the government’s arrest request as both unfounded and premature.
Undeterred, the prosecution pivoted. Kaswe applied for a substituted service—asking the court to allow formal charges to be delivered through the senator’s lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN).
The judge granted the request and fixed June 30 as the new date for arraignment.
The legal battle traces back to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public claims on national television, where she alleged high-level political conspiracy and threats to her life. Those explosive remarks have not only sparked this federal suit but have also given rise to a similar case currently pending before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
For now, the senator remains free, shielded by the letter of the law and the insistence on due process. But with the clock ticking toward June 30, the tension between legal procedure and political drama is far from over.