The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Monday, granted bail to the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Udauaghan, on self-recognition.
The embattled lawmaker who is currently on a six-month suspension slammed on her by the Senate, was arraigned on a six-count amended charges before Justice Muhammed Umar by the federal government on allegations of making false assassination claims against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and a former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
According to the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, the Senator had made the allegations that some politicians opposed to her were plotting to assassinate her.
Abubakar told the court that the lawmaker committed the alleged crimes when she addressed her supporters in Kogi state and on April 3, during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today where she specifically named Akpabio and Bello, as participants in a meeting where the plot to eliminate her was hatched.
According to one of the charges under Nigeria’s amended Cybercrimes Act, Akpoti-Udauaghan was alleged to have said:
“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.”
The Federal Government stated that the statements which were widely disseminated through digital platforms, were knowingly false and intended to incite unrest.
When the charges were read to her, Akpoti-Uduaghan pleaded not guilty while Abubakar did not file any process to challenge her release on bail.
