News
Abuja court grants Natasha bail over cybercrime *Trial begins, September 22
For the second time in two weeks, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi Central at the National Assembly, on Monday, walked out of the court room, breathing the fresh air of freedom, this time securing a fresh bail on a six-count criminal case.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, while fixing September 22, 2025 for the trial to commence, allowed the bail plea by the Senator, standing trial for alleged Cybercrime against Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate and Yahaya Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.
Part of the charges, read: “That on or about the 1st day of April 2025 while addressing a crowd of people at Ihima Community, Kogi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, You – SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTIUDUAGHAN intentionally caused the following communication to be transmitted via a computer system and network, to wit: “…and Akpabio told Yahaya Bello, Iam saying, standing by what I have said. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, it should be done here, so it will seem as (if it is the people that killed me here…” And You, SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN, knew this contained a threat that could harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio GCON as the President of the Senate, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (2) (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024 and punishable under the same Act.
Count two: “That on or about the 1st day of April 2025 while addressing a crowd of people at Ihima Community, Kogi State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, You – SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTIUDUAGHAN intentionally caused the following communication to be tranamitted via a computer system and network, to wit:
“,…and Akpabio told Yahaya Bello, I am saying, standing by what I have satd. He told him that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja, tt should be done here, so tt will seem as (f it ts the people that killed me here…” And You, SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN, knew this contained a threat that could harm the reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, a former Governor of Kogi State. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (2) (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024 and punishable under same section of the Act.
To all the charges, the Senator, pleaded not guilty, prompting Roland Otaru, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), her to make strenuous efforts to convince, Umar to grant her bail on liberal grounds, citing several authorities to buttress his position.
On his part, Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DOPPF), had after her plea, urged the court to fix a date to commence trial, and subsequently did not oppose bail after the arguments of the Senator’s lawyer.
Otaru, a professor of law, who had urged the court to exercise its discretion in favor of the Senator, on the ground that she was neither a flight risk now would she interfere with police investigation and witnesses, submitted further that the Nigerian Constitution presumed her innocent while the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 emphasised bail in such an offence.
While stressing his decision not to oppose the bail application, the DPPF, who admitted not filing a counter motion after receiving the motion in that regard, however urged the court to grant bail in such a way that will compel the Senator to attend trial.
The suspended Senator was put on trial by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF) on fresh six-count criminal charges bordering on harmful imputations while making public comments and granting television interview.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, currently under a six-month suspension from Senate activities, following what was interpreted as unruly behaviour on the floor of the Red Chambers on February 20, following her direct attack on Akpabio, was as usual, accompanied by her husband into the court room to answer the charges.
The fresh suit coming on the heels of an earlier one at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and filed on May 16, 2025, marked: CR/297/25, is coming on the heels of a petition by Akpabio to the Inspector General of Police, where he complained on damages done to his reputation by the Senator on the accusation that he (Akpabio) planned to eliminate her in Kogi state.
In that particular case, Justice Chizoba Orji, had rejected the application by the Federal Government to remand her in prison custody pending trial, stating that there was no justification to deny her bail as there was “sufficient evidence” before the court showing her willingness to face trial.
However, in granting her a bail on N50million bond, she directed that the Kogi Senator must produce one surety, who must be a “person of integrity” and owner of a landed property within Abuja.
In the instant case, the docking of the female Senator, for cybercrimes, followed after investigation by the police, which found merit in the petition by the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, now Chairman of the National Assembly.
The FG which is prosecuting the matter through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), subsequently slammed a six-count criminal charge against her before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The allegations in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025 are rooted in cybercrime provisions, revolve around her alleged transmission of false and injurious information via electronic means allegedly calculated to malign, incite, and endanger lives and breach public order.
Among the particulars of the charge are claims that Akpoti-Uduaghan, while addressing a gathering on April 4th 2025 in Ihima, alleged that Senator Akpabio instructed Bello to have her eliminated in Kogi State, same claims she also repeated in a television interview, suggesting a murderous conspiracy against her life by Akpabio and Bello.
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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