Yahaya Bello petitions IGP, demands Natasha Akpoti’s arrest for ‘defamatory’ comments

Yahaya Bello, former Kogi governor, has petitioned Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), over alleged defamatory statements made against him by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central.

In the petition signed by N.A. Abubakar, his solicitor, on Wednesday, Bello asked the IGP to invite Akpoti-Uduaghan to substantiate her allegations against him with credible evidence.

The former governor is urging the police to arrest and prosecute Akpoti-Uduaghan if she fails to provide proof of her allegations.

According to the petition, the statements attributed to the senator were made during a political “homecoming rally” held on April 1, 2025, in Okehi LGA of Kogi state.

At the event, Akpoti-Uduaghan was said to have alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had instructed Bello to initiate her recall and fund it.

She was also alleged to have claimed that Akpabio directed Bello to orchestrate her assassination outside Abuja to make it appear like a mob or local attack.

Bello, through his lawyer, said the utterances were not only “false, reckless, and inciting” but also “constitute serious criminal defamation, false accusation, and incitement to public disorder, all of which are offences under Nigerian law.”

“By accusing our client of plotting an assassination and naming him as a co-conspirator in a purported murder plot (with an attempt to disguise the killing as mob or ethnic violence), Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan has gravely damaged our client’s reputation by portraying him as a violent and vengeful political actor and misled the public and tried to incite ethnic and political distrust, especially among clans of Ebiraland in particular and the people of Kogi Central in general,” the petition reads.

The lawyer added that Akpoti-Uduaghan has also brought Bello’s name into disrepute, “which, if left unchallenged, could harm his political career and personal safety”.

“Our client has long considered Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to be erratic and often driven by delusional narratives,” he said, claiming Bello had refrained from taking legal action in the past out of a sense of duty as a sitting governor.

He noted that having left office, the former governor “seeks full legal redress for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s totally fabricated and utterly baseless allegations.”

He urged the IGP to expedite action on the petition, stating that “failure to act in the circumstances of these egregious offences by Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan will embolden others to also weaponise political platforms for dangerous falsehoods and criminal misrepresentation, especially with an eye to gaining dishonest advantage over opponents, thus endangering our democracy.”

Also, in a separate letter addressed to Akpoti-Uduaghan, Bello’s lawyers, led by R.O. Balogun, demanded a formal apology and retraction of the said defamatory statements, which must be published in two national dailies.

“That you cease and desist from making any further defamatory statements concerning him, whether directly or by innuendo, and whether published in print, electronic, or social media platforms,” the letter reads.

“That you comply in terms of the foregoing within fourteen days of the service of this letter on you.

“Take notice that failure, refusal, or neglect to comply with the above demands within the period of 14 days from the date this letter is served on you, our client, will set the necessary machinery in motion to initiate both civil and criminal proceedings against you without further notice.”