Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) has taken over control of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court premises in Abuja ahead of the arraignment of the lawmaker representing Kogi State in the Senate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was being arraigned by the Nigerian Police over alleged defamation against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Kogi state former governor, Yahaya Bello.
Aside from the lawmaker’s arraignment, the case of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was accused of felony and other allegations, was also said have been scheduled to hold inside the court.
As gathered on Thursday, the DSS stormed the court premises and carried out a stop and search to determine where the visitors to the court premises were heading to.
During the search, some members of the public were denied entrance into the court premises over possible threat to the peace of the proceedings that would be held within the facility.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a three-count charge filed by the Federal Government for allegedly making defamatory statements against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
The court premises witnessed tight security as the lawmaker arrived for the proceedings, accompanied by her husband former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili, prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, and among other supporters.
According to the charges, the Senator is accused of making harmful imputations likely to damage reputations, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 392.
One of the charges stems from a televised interview where she accused Akpabio and Bello of plotting her assassination, saying: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night to eliminate me.”
Another charge involves statements allegedly made during a phone conversation with one Sandra C. Duru on March 27, 2025.
Both Akpabio and Bello are listed as witnesses and are expected to testify during the trial. The case has attracted significant public interest, with civil society groups and political observers watching closely as it unfolds.
