The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, rejected an application by the federal government for a bench warrant for the arrest of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is facing defamation.
The Kogi Central senator is being prosecuted by the federal government on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
During a court session on Monday, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. D.D. Kasue, mentioned that the federal government was ready to proceed with Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arraignment, even though she was not present in court.
Kasue argued that because the charges had been served on the senator’s lawyer, she must be aware of the court sitting and should be present in court.
He requested that the court issue a bench warrant for Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s arrest, because she failed to show up in court, even though she knew about the charges against her.
However, the senator’s lawyer, Mr. Jacob Usman, quickly challenged the prosecution’s request.
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He explained that he had only just received the charges that same morning and that his client couldn’t possibly know about the court hearing if she hadn’t seen the charges.
Usman argued that since she wasn’t properly served with the papers, it was unfair to ask for a bench warrant.
The judge, Justice Musa Umar, agreed with the defence counsel, stating that without proper service of the charges, he could not issue a warrant for her arrest.
Instead, he allowed the prosecution to serve the defendant through her lawyer.
The judge rescheduled the case for June 30 for the arraignment.
This case stems from comments Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan made during a television interview on April 3, 2023, where she allegedly made accusations against Akpabio and Bello, including claims of a conspiracy to harm her.
