ABUJA — Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over alleged defamatory and inciting statements made against him by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP-Kogi Central).
In a petition dated April 10 and signed by his lawyer, Mr. N.A. Abubakar, Bello called on the Nigeria Police Force to summon Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan to present evidence to support her claims or be arrested and prosecuted for criminal defamation, inciting public disturbance, and spreading false information.
“Where she fails to do so, cause her to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law,” the petition stated.
Bello’s legal team described the senator’s remarks as false, reckless, and inciting, alleging that they amount to criminal defamation and incitement under Nigerian law.
The former governor also issued a separate legal notice to Akpoti-Uduaghan through Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN & Co, demanding a public retraction and apology over the alleged defamatory statements made at a political rally in Okehi Local Government Area on April 1.
At the rally, the senator was reported to have alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio sent for Bello and that another senator from Cross River “drove Yahaya Bello from the Hilton Hotel.” She further claimed that money changed hands as part of a plan for her recall, and that “Akpabio told Yahaya Bello to make sure that she is killed.”
Bello’s legal team argues these statements are not only damaging to his reputation but also dangerously inciteful.
“By accusing our client of plotting an assassination… Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has 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,” the petition read.
His lawyer cited Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act (2015) and Sections 114 and 140 of the Penal Code, which criminalise the dissemination of false information and incitement likely to disturb public order.
Bello also alleged that the senator ensured her speech was widely circulated on social media, further compounding the reputational damage.
In the separate letter to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Bello’s lawyers demanded: A formal retraction of the alleged defamatory statements in two national dailies. A cease and desist from making further defamatory remarks. And Compliance within 14 days of receipt of the letter.
“TAKE NOTICE that failure to comply… will result in the initiation of both civil and criminal proceedings,” the letter warned.
The petition to the IGP called for urgent action to preserve public order, uphold justice, and protect innocent individuals from what Bello’s lawyers described as “targeted smear campaigns.” NAN
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