Ime Akpan
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday granted the suspended representative of Kogi Central senatorial district, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Udauaghan bail on personal recognisance.
The senator was arraigned on six fresh counts related to alleged cybercrime. After the charges were read, she pleaded not guilty to all of them.
She was alleged to have made false and damaging statements about the senate president, Mr Godswill Akpabio and the former governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello.
According to the charges, Akpoti Uduaghan allegedly claimed that “Akpabio told Yahaya Bello… that he should make sure that killing me does not happen in Abuja; it should be done in Kogi, so it will seem as if it is the people that killed me.”
Days later she allegedly repeated the allegations while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today, stating: “It was part of the discussions Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night… to eliminate me.”
The federal government asserted that the statements, which were widely circulated on digital platforms, were knowingly false and intended to incite unrest.
The government further contended that the remarks violate “Section 24(2) (c)” of the Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises the intentional spread of false information to damage reputations or provoke public disorder.
During the bail application for Akpoti-Udauaghan, her legal team, led by Prof Roland Otaru, requested that she be granted bail on own recognisance, emphasising her status as a senator of and a senior member of the bar.
Otaru noted that the prosecution had not submitted any counter-affidavit to oppose the bail application.
The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar then granted the request from the defence counsel, allowing the senator to be released on self recognisance.
The court adjourned the matter to September 22 for the commencement of the trial.
