Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello and Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
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Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello and his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo have been dragged before the Federal Capital Territory High Court for allegedly tagging the Senatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan a terrorist.
Also sued along the two respondents in the suit numbered FCT/HC/CV/6529/2023 is Vanguard Media Limited for publishing the offensive allegation.
The lawsuit followed Kogi State government’s officials’ “call on heads of security agencies in Nigeria to invite Akpoti-Uduaghan for questioning over alleged terrorism capable of dragging the state back to “the dark era.”
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan felt she has been defamed by claims that, “despite Governor Bello’s interventions to rid the state of terrorism, it was concerned that some politicians were grooming terrorists in the state as well as importing them from neighbouring states.”
Among the reliefs sought by Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan is the demand for N10 billion in damages as well as an order restraining governor Yahaya Bello from using defamatory words against her.
Other prayers sought by Akpoti-Uduaghan are: “A declaration that the publication by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants through the Vanguard newspaper online media at https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/10/terrorism-kogi-govt-asks-security-agencies-to-invite-uduaghan-for-questioning/amp/ on October 31, 2022 titled “Terrorism: Kogi Govt asks security agencies to invite Uduaghan for questioning” is libelous and defamatory against the Claimant.
“An order of this Honourable Court against the Defendants jointly and severally to pay the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as damages for the libelous publication by the Defendants against the Claimant in the vanguard newspaper online publication at https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/10/terrorism-kogi-govt-asks-security-agencies-to-invite-uduaghan-for-questioning/amp/ on October 31, 2022 titled “Terrorism: Kogi Govt asks security agencies to invite Uduaghan for questioning” as same is libelous and defamatory against the Claimant.
“An order of this Honourable Court directing the Defendants jointly and severally retract, remove from the internet and publish a public apology to the Claimant in the Vanguard newspaper both in print and online retracting the libelous publication published in the vanguard newspaper online at https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/10/terrorism-kogi-govt-asks-security-agencies-to-invite-uduaghan-for-questioning/amp/ on October 31, 2022 titled “Terrorism: Kogi Govt asks security agencies to invite Uduaghan for questioning” as same is libelous and defamatory against the Claimant.
“An injunction restraining the Defendants jointly and severally by themselves, agents or servants or otherwise from publishing or causing to be published the said similar words defamatory against the Claimant.”
