Former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has formally petitioned the Inspector General of Police, seeking the investigation and prosecution of suspended senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over what he described as criminal defamation and incitement.
In a petition authored by his solicitor, N.A. Abubakar, Bello urged the Nigeria Police Force to invite the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District to substantiate her recent claims with evidence or face arrest and legal action.
The petition follows a statement made by Akpoti-Uduaghan at a political rally in Okehi LGA on April 1, where she accused Bello of plotting her assassination, allegedly under the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. She also alleged that money exchanged hands during a meeting involving Bello and a Cross River senator at Hilton Hotel.
“These accusations are reckless, unfounded, and dangerous,” the petition states. “They violate Nigerian laws, particularly those dealing with criminal defamation and incitement.”
Bello’s legal team emphasized that circulating such grave allegations, especially through viral videos on social media, is not only misleading to the public but also a threat to public peace. The lawyers cited the Cybercrimes Act 2015 and the Penal Code to back their demand for her prosecution.
Beyond the police petition, Bello’s legal counsel, Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN, has also served a formal notice to Akpoti-Uduaghan, demanding a public retraction of her statements and an apology published in two national newspapers within 14 days.
The letter further warned that failure to comply would trigger both civil and criminal actions.
In a sharp rebuke, Bello’s legal team described the senator as “delusional” and accused her of a long history of spreading damaging lies. While the former governor claimed to have tolerated such conduct while in office, he stated that he no longer has reason to do so and is determined to seek full legal redress.
He also cautioned that failing to act on this case would set a dangerous precedent, encouraging the spread of political falsehoods and threatening Nigeria’s democracy.
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