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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, struck out cybercrime charges against the senator representing Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Trial Judge Mohammed Umar struck out the charges following the notice of discontinuance filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), who was prosecuting the case.
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The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the development came just a few hours after another judge, Chizoba Orji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), struck out criminal defamation charges against the senator.
Both cases centre around Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public comments in April last year accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello were plotting her assassination.
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The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation alleged in the two cases that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan made the comments on a live television programme and during her homecoming rally in her hometown,Ihima, in Kogi State, to damage the reputations of Messrs Akpabio and Bello.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, her lawyers and the prosecution team were all seated in court when the judge called the parties into the chamber where the notice of discontinuance was moved by prosecution counsel, Aderonke Imana. The judge granted the request to strike out the charges during the sitting in camera.
The senator’s lawyer, Ehioge West-Idahosa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), did not oppose the application.
Mr West-Idahosa, however, urged the court to release all documents belonging to the defendant and her sureties.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on 30 June 2025 on six counts of cybercrimes.
She was granted bail, following which the judge, Mr Umar adjourned the matter until 22 September 2025 for the commencement of trial.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the charge marked: was alleged to have transmitted false and injurious information via electronic means with the intention to malign, incite and endanger lives and breach public order.
The senator was alleged to have, while addressing a gathering on 4 April in Ihima in Kogi State, accused the Senate President Akpabio, of instructing ex-Governor Bello to have her killed in the state.
She was also alleged to have, in a television interview, repeated similar claims, to the effect that the senate president and former governor plotted to kill her in Kogi State
The charge was brought under the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, etc (Amendment) Act 2024.
Reacting to the withdrawal of the two cases filed by the federal government against her, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan said that the cases were not part of those mentioned by the senate president in church.
“I will like to mention for clarity that these cases do not form part of the cases the Senate President mentioned in church.
“As at today, he has not instructed his lawyers to discontinue several cases that he and his wife initiated.
“The withdrawal of these two federal government cases against me only proved what we had always known, which is that these cases were maliciously instigated by two individuals who used power to their advantage, to witchhunt an innocent person which is myself.
“But I will like to extend a sincere appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for standing with the truth and in his commitment to justice, ordered the discontinuance of these two cases.
“I have never doubted that Nigeria is a land of possibilities and that the truth somehow would always get one vindicated.”
She said that with the two cases off her neck, she could now rest and resume her legislative work fully.
“No matter how strong and tough one is, for a person like me that has never been invited by the police for anything and does not have any case of financial embezzlement or drug abuse to just be slammed simultaneously with two federal government cases, that was a whole lot.
“But they say whatever does not break you makes you stronger. I will say that I was actually toughened.
“It is not something I would want to experience, and I would not wish it for anybody.
“At the end of the day, justice prevailed,” she said.
(NAN)
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