The Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail to Natasha Akpoti-Udauaghan, the suspended senator from Kogi Central Senatorial District, on Monday. She was arraigned on a six-count charge of alleged cybercrime and pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Senator Akpoti-Udauaghan allegedly made false and damaging statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, claiming Akpabio instructed Bello to have her killed in Kogi rather than Abuja.
She repeated the allegations on Channels TV’s Politics Today, claiming that Akpabio and Yahaya Bello had discussed eliminating her, prompting the Federal Government to denounce her statements as knowingly false and intended to incite unrest.
The FG also argued that the comments contravene Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes Act, which makes it illegal to intentionally spread false information to damage reputations or incite public disorder.
Meanwhile, Akpoti-Udauaghan’s legal team, led by Professor Roland Otaru (SAN), has requested that she be granted bail on self-recognition, citing her position as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a senior member of the bar.
The judge noted the prosecution’s failure to file a counter-affidavit opposing the bail application and granted the senator bail on self-recognition. The trial is set to begin on September 22.
