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Tag: Natasha

  • ‘Why criminal charge was filed against Senator Natasha’

    ‘Why criminal charge was filed against Senator Natasha’

    The decision by the state to file a criminal charge against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has attracted varied reactions. Assistant Editor ERIC IKHILAE writes on why the state opted for prosecution.

    The frosty relationship between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership took a new twist recently when the office of the Director, Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, filed a charge against her.

     The three-count charge, marked: CR/297/25 filed on May 15 before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), principally accused the now suspended Senator – representing Kogi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – of making harmful imputations.

    She is, in count one, accused of making an imputation which she knew would harm the reputation of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by claiming he plotted, with former Kogi governor, Yahaya Bello, to kill her.

    In count two, Akpoti-Uduaghan is accused of making a similar imputation knowing that it will harm the reputation of ex-governor Bello.

    She is, in count three, accused of making another imputation, which she knew would harm the reputation of Akpabio by associating him with the death of one Miss Imoren Iniubong.

    The decision by the government to file a criminal charge against Akpoti-Uduaghan has attracted varied reactions, with her lawyers and supporters crying wolf and alleging bias.

    One of her lawyers, Uju Nwoduwu, in a statement for the Senator’s legal team, accused the state of ignoring her petitions and electing to act on the one filed by the Senate President and others.

     Nwoduwu claimed that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted 12 petitions bordering on cyberstalking, threats to life, defamation, and an alleged assassination plot.

    She expressed concern that, while Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s complaints remain uninvestigated, counter-allegations from Akpabio and Bello have been swiftly processed, culminating in the filing of the criminal charge against her.

    Read Also: My phone line cloned to malign Nigerian dignitaries, Natasha alleges

     “The public expects law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies to uphold fairness, the rule of law, and impartial justice in all matters involving her.

     “This selective response raises deep concerns about biased enforcement of justice,” the statement said.

     The Nation, however, learnt that the decision by the DPPF to file the criminal charge was to allow the court deal with the issues raised and to afford Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan the opportunity to be heard by a neutral party, since she has raised the issue of bias against the state and security agencies.

     An official of the Federal Ministry of Justice explained that during the investigation, which was earlier in time, and which informed the filing of the charge, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan failed to honour the many invitations extended to her to be heard.

     “While the petitions that led to the charge were being investigated by relevant security agencies, she was invited to provide her response.

     “She never showed up. Instead, her lawyers claimed she travelled abroad. She declined to return or make her response available until the investigation was concluded.

     “The DPPF then decided that, since a criminal case has been established, it was better to have the case decided by the court, where she would have the opportunity to raise her defence, since she failed to honour invitations extended to her during the investigation.

    “I believe that, beside providing her side of the story, her participation in the investigation would have also afforded her the opportunity to draw the investigators’ attention to petitions which she now claims have been left unattended to,” the official said.

     An Abuja-based lawyer, Matthew Dawodu has, however, commended the decision by the DPPF to take the case before a court to allow parties present their cases before an unbiased arbiter, with appropriate constitutional responsibilities in that regard.

    Dawodu said it should be “the mere filing of the charge has not established Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’ guilt, adding that the state is still required to prove its case with credible evidence and beyond reasonable doubt.

    “I think the suspended Senator and her legal team ought to be glad that the matter is before a competent court, where they could prove her innocence and have all the issues determined in the open by a competent court,” he said.

     Another lawyer, Abubakar Taufeek said he commended Akpabio for deciding to take the case to the appropriate authorities instead of resorting to self-help.

     Taufeek added: “To me, the Senate President should be commended by being civil in deciding to file a formal complaint which was investigated and resulted in the filing of the charge.

     “I commended him for not resorting to brute force and acting arbitrarily. 

     “I don’t think the complaint by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s camp about the decision to charge her to court is necessary. They should approach the court and prove her innocence,” Taufeek said.

  • Court summons Akpabio over Natasha’s N100 billion alleged defamation suit

    Court summons Akpabio over Natasha’s N100 billion alleged defamation suit

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, presided over by Hon Justice Idris Kutigi, has ordered Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to appear before it on June 9, 2025 in a N100 billion defamation suit filed against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

    The court’s order followed a motion filed by counsel to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, Barrister Victor Giwa, seeking leave of the court to serve Senator Akpabio through substituted means after the Senate President failed to appear in court in respect of the matter on May 7, 2025.

    Read Also: Why Nigerians should behopeful, by NOA DG

    The suit, with case number FCT/HC/CV/754/2025, revolves around allegations of defamation which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claims have severely damaged her reputation, prompting her to seek substantial damages from the Senate President.

    In granting the application for substituted service, Justice Kutigi directed that the court processes be served on Senator Akpabio through the Clerk of the National Assembly, effectively ensuring that the Senate President is duly notified of the proceedings.

    Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, is pursuing the suit, insisting that the statements allegedly made by the Senate President against her were “false, malicious, and intended to damage her integrity.”

    The court is expected to proceed with the matter on June 9.(NAN)

  • My phone line cloned to malign Nigerian dignitaries, Natasha alleges

    My phone line cloned to malign Nigerian dignitaries, Natasha alleges

    Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi West) has raised the alarm that her official telephone line has been cloned and is being fraudulently utilised to intimidate some Nigerian dignitaries.

    In a petition to the Director of the National Cybercrime Centre, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, through his lawyers, M. J. Numa and Partners, dated June 4, 2025, Akpoti-Udughan said the “unknown persons are impersonating her personality to make unsolicited calls and deliver messages pretending to have originated from her.”

    She added that this deployment of advanced cyber tools collectively suggests the existence of “a coordinated attempt to compromise” her identity and possibly mislead and manipulate prominent individuals, using her name and reputation, and called for the commencement of full-scale investigation and forensic analysis of all activities linked to her phone with the view to unmasking and prosecuting the culprits.  

    The petition titled: “Disclaimer regarding illegal cloning and unathorised use of our client’s (Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduagha) phone number,” signed Barr Michael Jonathan Numa, Natasha said: “The development is not only alarming but also constitutes a gross violation of her privacy and a potential breach of her privacy and a potential breach of national security.”

    Some of the notable politicians who have been contacted in the process, she said include former presidential adviser, Senator Ben Obi, former Governor of Edo State and one-time Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the CEO of Air Peace, Chief Allen Onyeama, Hon Emmanuel Ukon and journalist Seun Okinbaloye of Channels Television.

    While the Senator stated the receipt of a call from the Area Commander of Matama District in Abuja, calming to be returning her call, Barr. Numa added that a senior member of the Bar, Chief Ifedayo Adams Adedipe, SAN, once alleged he received a call, ostensibly from Senator Akpoti-Uduagha.

    She disclaimed those messages and calls, wanting the said phone calls, messages or other communications which appeared to have emanated from her or “which purports to have been made by her but are not directly verified” to be treated with extreme caution and disregarded. 

    She expressed readiness to make her device and other communication devices available for expert examination where necessary.

  • Stop distracting Senate, FG, Tinubu’s coordinator warns Natasha

    Stop distracting Senate, FG, Tinubu’s coordinator warns Natasha

    South-South Coordinator of The Asiwaju Group (TAG), Pastor Reuben Wilson, has warned suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) against further distracting the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and indeed the National Assembly.

    Wilson, a former Niger Delta freedom fighter, who is also the founder, Pastor Reuben Initiative for Good Leadership and Accountability (PRIFGLA), said Natasha’s alleged sexual harassment may have been a ploy to stop the senate from punishing her for disobeying the senate rules, adding that her activities and actions were inimical to the progress and development of the country.

    In a statement on Friday, Wilson recalled the events that led to the fisticuff between the suspended senator and the Senate President and noted that it was necessary for Natasha to advice herself and refrain from anything that would attack the integrity of the senate and Nigeria.

    “This call is premised on the fact that the unruly and inappropriate behaviour of Senator Natasha in the hallowed chamber of the senate shows clearly that she lost focus on her legislative duties and had turned herself to be a distraction to the Senate and the Nigerian people, and therefore, there is the urgent need to have a sober reflection and redirect her energy to competently discharge her primary responsibility as a legislator.

    “I totally agree with the fact that Senator Natasha has a constitutionally guaranteed right to speak up against oppression and discriminatory policies targeted at her or when her rights as a senator are infringed upon but such must also be done in line with the principles of decorum and respect for parliamentary procedures. 

    “As a senator, she must thoroughly study the extant procedural rules and conduct herself in accordance with such rules of the senate. She cannot conduct herself in a manner that shows she’s above the rules of the senate.

    “I’m greatly disturbed that a mere conventional change of seats that was occasioned by new defections in the senate, which wasn’t targeted at Senator Natasha, but also affected other senators, could make her behave in such an unruly manner and create so much negative content that has greatly distracted the senate and the Nigerian people.

    “Let Senator Natasha deploy her energy to supporting and sponsoring bills(if and when she returns to the senate) that will move this country forward and better the lot of the poor masses, rather than fighting for a mere  sitting position in the senate that will not contribute in any way to enhancing the quality of her representation or the discharge of her legislative duties. 

    “She must give priority attention to her primary responsibility as a legislator if she has to be taken seriously or be considered as a senator that’s in the senate for the betterment of the country,” he stated. 

    Wilson said rather than bring down the Senate and continue to rubbish the country in the comity of nations, Natasha should “prioritise the welfare and interests of her constituents and the nation at large, above personal and selfish interests. 

    “The position of a senator is not just a privilege for self-aggrandizement but a responsibility to serve the people.

    “I’m therefore calling on her to focus on her legislative duties of lawmaking, oversight functions and representation. This call is necessitated by the strength of my findings, which suggests that the primary aim of the sexual harassment allegation was to escape punishment from the Senate Committee on ethics and privileges, which was investigating Senator Natasha for breach of the rules of the Senate. 

    “It was a desperate attempt to divert attention from her disciplinary proceedings. She was trying to manipulate the senate and the Nigerian people to avoid punishment for her unruly behaviour,” he added.

    The south-south APC chieftain also questioned the integrity of the suspended senator over the sexual harassment allegations, especially considering the posture and position of her husband, and wondered why Natasha’s statements on television contradicted her husband’s claims.

    Wilson said: “There are obvious contradictions found in both her claims in her television interview and the statement made by her husband. While her husband claimed to have had a private meeting with the senate president, where he requested the senate president to accord his wife her due respect, following the allegation of sexual harassment, she claimed that her husband met with the senate president to plead with him to allow her move her motion on Ajaokuta Steel Company, without the husband knowing about the sexual harassment she was experiencing from the senate president.

    Read Also: Fed Govt files criminal charges against Natasha

    “Also the claim by her husband that his wife doesn’t hide anything from him contradicts her claim of not telling her husband about the sexual harassment till her public disclosure of same.

    “It is already in the public domain, that Senator Natasha had in the past made similar unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment against prominent persons, such as Reno Omokri, Dino Melaye and Yahaya Bello. 

    “She made those allegations without evidence and couldn’t substantiate them, but went ahead to give them serious media hype. It has become a notorious fact that anytime she needs public sympathy to achieve a desired goal, she brings up sexual harassment allegations because many people buy into stories of sexual harassment without critically analyzing the credibility and veracity of such claims.”

    He said Natasha’s theatrics may have also been enacted as part of a grand plot to distract the Senate President and get him removed so that those behind it can install a senate President they can use to fight and distract President Tinubu from successfully executing his vision for the holistic development of the country.

    He urged Akpabio to refuse to be distracted, even as he urged Nigerians to give their full support to the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to enable him effectively govern the country in line with the renewed hope agenda.

    “I’m using this medium to also call on the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio not to be distracted by the activities of unpatriotic Nigerians who don’t mean well for the country. He should continue to maintain the highest standard of parliamentary decorum and protect the ethical integrity of the Senate.

    “He should continue to use his great wealth of knowledge and experience to strengthen the National Assembly and re-position it for more productive engagements and better results,” he argued. 

    He also hailed Akpabio for what he called the senator’s ability to enthrone legislative excellence and stability in the National Assembly. “His transformational leadership and vision has made the National Assembly to be more result-oriented and productive. 

    “The 10th National Assembly is more focused on proffering legislative solutions and interventions to help President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to effectively tackle the plethora of challenges facing the country.

    “Nigerians shouldn’t be distracted by the shenanigans and mischievous activities of the few unpatriotic elements bent on pulling down the Senate President in order to use the National Assembly to fight President Tinubu, for their selfish interests.

    “As a patriotic and development-oriented citizen, I believe strongly that a united, peaceful and prosperous nation should be the ultimate interest of all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians. 

    “Therefore, supporting the federal government in its bid to transform and accelerate the holistic development of our country should be the primary focus of all patriots. Nigerians should eschew divisive tendencies and focus on national unity and development.

    “I consider it very important and necessary to make this patriotic call because Nigeria needs a stable, peaceful and productive environment to thrive and prosper. We don’t need to unnecessarily distract our leaders. We must give our leaders the encouragement and enabling working environment to optimally perform their duties for the prosperity and betterment of our nation.”

  • Fed Govt files criminal charges against Natasha

    Fed Govt files criminal charges against Natasha

    • Akpabio, Yahaya Bello to testify

    The Federal Government has filed a criminal charge against suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

    She was accused of defaming Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

    The three-count charge was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is pending before Justice C. N. Oji.

    It was filed by the Department of Public Prosecutions on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

    The Federal Government accused Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of making imputations intended to harm reputations, contrary to Section 391 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 392 of the same law.

    Section 391 (1) of the Penal Code provides: “Whoever by words either spoken or reproduced by mechanical means or intended to be read or by signs or by visible representations makes or publishes any imputations concerning a person, intending to harm or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of such person, is said to defame that person.”

    Read Also: Natasha and the burden of proof

    Under Section 392, any person who defames another shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to two years, or with a fine, or with both.

    The first count centres on a televised interview Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan granted Channels Television’s political programme, “Politics Today”, aired on April 3, 2025.

    In the interview, the senator had accused Akpabio of plotting to assassinate her, allegedly in collaboration with former Governor Bello.

    Responding to a question during the live interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan had said: “It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, ehm… to eliminate me.”

    She claimed that the withdrawal of her official security detail by the Senate upon her suspension was a deliberate plot to make her “vulnerable to attacks,” suggesting an orchestrated attempt on her life.

    The Federal Government argued that such public statements were made with knowledge or reason to believe they would damage Akpabio’s reputation.

    In the second count, Akpoti-Uduaghan told the same television audience that a plan to assassinate her was not to be carried out in Abuja but in Kogi State, under Bello’s watch.

    She claimed to have reported the threats to the Inspector General of Police and made efforts to inform security operatives.

    The prosecution contended that the allegations she made on national television tarnished the character of Bello and presented a grave national security concern, especially given the implications of political violence.

    In the third count, the Federal Government alleged that on March 27, 2025, during a telephone conversation with a lady called Sandra C. Duru, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan made a horrifying claim that were aimed at implicating Akpabio in an alleged killing and organ harvesting.

    The prosecution said the allegation, referencing a real-life murder case, was both a malicious and unsubstantiated attack on Senator Akpabio’s character, capable of inciting public outrage and diminishing public confidence in the leadership of the National Assembly.

    The Federal Government averred that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan acted recklessly and with malicious intent, abusing her public platform to spread defamatory and inflammatory statements that have far-reaching consequences for national peace, security, and democratic integrity.

    Justice Oji ordered that she be served with the necessary court papers before the next adjourned date.

  • Natasha and the burden of proof

    Natasha and the burden of proof

    By Mike Osumah

    One of the elementary rules I first learnt in journalism school eons ago is that opinions are free but facts are sacred.

    This time-honoured principle has therefore become my guiding light whenever I want to say or write anything- be it news bulletins, ad copies, commentaries, elevated gossips, random musings, warts and all!

    And for any journalist worth his salt, you know you run the risk of libel and defamation if you publish untruths because under the law you cannot be spared- your victim can always get reprieve if he or she takes recourse in the law.

    Indeed, yours truly started off with the above preamble advisedly because it speaks to the heart of the personality clashes between the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing the Kogi Central.

    It doesn’t bear repeating all the ugly, and I daresay salacious details already served to the public by the senator herself.

    But it would be remiss of me not to inform Nigerians about the position of the law as it concerns the allegations raised by the senator in all the public appearances she has made.

    READ ALSO: FULL LIST: World’s 11 most powerful passports in 2025

    Wait for this: there is a caveat; yours truly is not an interested party and neither am I obligated to any of the parties involved in this brouhaha. No. Like Mr. Ben Murray Bruce, widely known as Mr. Commonsense, I just want to make some sense out of this whole thing!   

    Now let’s take the issues apart and break them one after the other. With the benefit of hindsight apart from the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Senator Akpabio, the feisty lady at the upper legislative chamber also accused him of murder, organ harvesting; which in every material particular as the lawyers are wont to say, are clearly dastardly and criminal acts in themselves.   

    Specifically, Senator Natasha, according to available information had engaged Sandra Duru, a United Kingdom (UK)-based activist, popularly known as Professor Mgbeke, and allegedly offered her the sum of N200 million to falsely accuse Akpabio of organ harvesting.

    The activist made the claim during a live Facebook session and said there are recordings where the suspended senator admitted having no evidence against the senate president.

    Akpoti-Uduaghan has since denied the allegation, dismissing the live stream content as “untrue and manipulated”.

    It would be recalled that in 2021, 26-year-old Iniubong Umoren, a female job seeker, went missing after meeting a Twitter user for a job opportunity in Akwa Ibom.

    Uduak Umoh, a friend of Iniubong, announced her death after raising concerns about her disappearance.

    Subsequently, the police operatives in Akwa Ibom arrested Uduak Akpan, a suspect, who allegedly confessed to sexually and physically assaulting the late Iniubong and burying her body in a shallow grave at his father’s house.

    Akpan was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death by the Akwa Ibom high court on August 4, 2022.

    Certainly, Natasha’s claims if indeed she made them, should not to be treated as just mere random musings by some crackpot who doesn’t know her left from right. No. The person making the claims and the victim are both public figures and as such owe us the responsibility of telling us the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

    This is why as concerned citizens we all must not allow this case to suffer from the conspiracy of silence.        

    Thankfully, the family of the late Iniubong Umoren and legal experts are now considering legal redress against Senator Natasha for spreading what they call “defamatory and destabilising misinformation.”

    Firing the first salvo, Ifiok Umoren, the elder sister of the late Iniubong Umoren, has refuted claims that the deceased organs were harvested following her murder in April 2021.

     While addressing newsmen at a press conference last Saturday, in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom, the deceased’s sister said no body part was missing from autopsy to burial.

    Flanked by Friday Johnson Itim, Akwa Ibom’s Director of Public Prosecution, and Samuel Abdullah of the Legal Aid Council, Ifiok said the claim was a distortion of truth.

    Ifiok described the allegation as “outrageous” and “deeply hurtful,” adding that she personally witnessed the autopsy, during which the internal organs were confirmed intact.

    “How can someone claim that my sister’s organs were harvested when I was right there during the autopsy?” she queried.

    “This accusation is not only false but also dishonours the memory of my sister and retraumatises our family.”

    Ifiok recalled how Iniubong informed her of a job interview before she went missing and how she helped in tracing the suspect and alerting security agencies.

    “After her death, the police took the body for autopsy at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” she said. “I was present. No organ was missing.”

    Backing her position, Itim said the crime was committed solely by Akpan, who attacked Iniubong after she refused unprotected sex.

    “He killed her in anger, buried her in a shallow grave and fled,” he said.

    “His arrest was made possible through help from his family and the local council chairman.

    Also, Abdullah said the allegation of organ trafficking did not come up at any point during court proceedings.

    “Neither the prosecution nor defence ever mentioned Senator Akpabio,” he said.

    “The autopsy report is available to the public and shows that all organs were intact.”

    Emeka Nwafor, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy, testified under oath in 2021 that though the corpse showed signs of trauma and decomposition, there was no indication of organ removal.

    Clearly, with the way things have panned out thus far, it does appears that Senator Natasha would literally need to “explain taya” to borrow the popular street lingo.

    That indeed is the burden of proof, which in the legal contexts, refers to the obligation to establish the truth of a factual assertion.

    This principle is often expressed in the Latin phrase “ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat,” meaning “the burden of proof rests on who asserts, not on who denies”.

    Pray, who’ll help Madam Distinguish Natasha to unbundle the burden of proof?

    The answer I daresay is hanging in the air.

    • Osumah, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos

  • Natasha and the burden of proof

    Natasha and the burden of proof

    By Mike Osumah

    One of the elementary rules I first learnt in journalism school eons ago is that opinions are free but facts are sacred.

    This time-honoured principle has therefore become my guiding light whenever I want to say or write anything- be it news bulletins, ad copies, commentaries, elevated gossips, random musings, warts and all!

    And for any journalist worth his salt, you know you run the risk of libel and defamation if you publish untruths because under the law you cannot be spared- your victim can always get reprieve if he or she takes recourse in the law.

    Indeed, yours truly started off with the above preamble advisedly because it speaks to the heart of the personality clashes between the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing the Kogi Central.

    It doesn’t bear repeating all the ugly, and I daresay salacious details already served to the public by the senator herself.

    But it would be remiss of me not to inform Nigerians about the position of the law as it concerns the allegations raised by the senator in all the public appearances she has made.

    Wait for this: there is a caveat; yours truly is not an interested party and neither am I obligated to any of the parties involved in this brouhaha. No. Like Mr. Ben Murray Bruce, widely known as Mr. Commonsense, I just want to make some sense out of this whole thing!    

    Now let’s take the issues apart and break them one after the other. With the benefit of hindsight apart from the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Senator Akpabio, the festy lady at the upper legislative chamber also accused him of muder, organ harvesting; which in every material particular as the lawyers are wont to say, are clearly dastardly and criminal act in themselves.    

    Specifically, Senator Natasha, according to available information had engaged Sandra Duru, a United Kingdom (UK)-based activist, popularly known as Professor Mgbeke, and allegedly offered her  the sum of N200 million to falsely accuse Akpabio of organ harvesting.

    The activist made the claim during a live Facebook session and said there are recordings where the suspended senator admitted having no evidence against the senate president.

    Akpoti-Uduaghan has since denied the allegation, dismissing the live stream content as “untrue and manipulated”.

    It would be recalled that in 2021, 26-year-old Iniubong Umoren, a female job seeker, went missing after meeting a Twitter user for a job opportunity in Akwa Ibom.

    Uduak Umoh, a friend of Iniubong, announced her death after raising concerns about her disappearance.

    Subsequently, the police operatives in Akwa Ibom arrested Uduak Akpan, a suspect, who allegedly confessed to sexually and physically assaulting the late Iniubong and burying her body in a shallow grave at his father’s house.

    Akpan was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death by the Akwa Ibom high court on August 4, 2022. 

    Certainly, Natasha’s claims if indeed she made them, should not to be treated as just mere random musings by some crackpot who doesn’t know her left from right. No. The person making the claims and the victim are both public figures and as such owe us the responsibility of telling us the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

    This is why as concerned citizens we all must not allow this case to suffer from the conspiracy of silence.         

    Thankfully, the family of the late Iniubong Umoren and legal experts are now considering legal redress against Senator Natasha for spreading what they call “defamatory and destabilising misinformation.”

    Firing the first salvo, Ifiok Umoren, the elder sister of the late Iniubong Umoren, has refuted claims that the deceased organs were harvested following her murder in April 2021.

    While addressing newsmen at a press conference last Saturday, in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom, in response to recent claims by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, suspended senator representing Kogi central, that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was involved in harvesting Iniubong’s organ to save his wife, the deceased’s sister said no body part was missing from autopsy to burial.

    Read Also: Court fixes June 27 for judgment in Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others

    Flanked by Friday Johnson Itim, Akwa Ibom’s Director of Public Prosecution, and Samuel Abdullah of the Legal Aid Council, Ifiok said the claim was a distortion of truth.

    Ifiok described the allegation as “outrageous” and “deeply hurtful,” adding that she personally witnessed the autopsy, during which the internal organs were confirmed intact.

    “How can someone claim that my sister’s organs were harvested when I was right there during the autopsy?” she queried.

    “This accusation is not only false but also dishonours the memory of my sister and retraumatises our family.”

    Ifiok recalled how Iniubong informed her of a job interview before she went missing and how she helped in tracing the suspect and alerting security agencies.

     “After her death, the police took the body for autopsy at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,” she said. “I was present. No organ was missing.”

    Backing her position, Itim said the crime was committed solely by Akpan, who attacked Iniubong after she refused unprotected sex.

    “He killed her in anger, buried her in a shallow grave and fled,” he said.

     “His arrest was made possible through help from his family and the local council chairman.

    Also, Abdullah said the allegation of organ trafficking did not come up at any point during court proceedings.

    “Neither the prosecution nor defence ever mentioned Senator Akpabio,” he said.

    “The autopsy report is available to the public and shows that all organs were intact.”

    Emeka Nwafor, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy, testified under oath in 2021 that though the corpse showed signs of trauma and decomposition, there was no indication of organ removal.

    Clearly, with the way things have panned out thus far, it does appears that Senator Natasha would literally need to “explain taya” to borrow the popular street lingo.

    That indeed is the burden of proof, which in the legal contexts, refers to the obligation to establish the truth of a factual assertion.

    This principle is often expressed in the Latin phrase “ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat,” meaning “the burden of proof rests on who asserts, not on who denies”.

    Pray, who’ll help Madam Distinguish Natasha to unbundle the burden of proof? 

    The answer I daresay is hanging in the air.

    •Osumah, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos

  • Court fixes June 27 for judgment in Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others

    Court fixes June 27 for judgment in Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled judgment for June 27 in the suit filed by the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension from the Senate for six months.

    Justice Binta Nyako fixed the date yesterday after parties in the suit made their final submissions and adopted their written addresses.

    The judge said she would first decide the contempt claims by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Natasha, then give her opinions on the various preliminary objections raised by the respondents and, if necessary, determine the substantive suit.

    She said: “I want to believe that all processes are in. What I am going to do is to first of all look at the issues of contempt and take a decision on it.

    “Then, I will look at the notices of preliminary objection. If they succeed, that is the end of the case. And if they don’t, I will look at the originating summons filed by the plaintiff,” Justice Nyako said.

    Natasha is, in the fundamental rights enforcement suit, claiming, among others, that she was not given fair hearing before she was suspended by the Senate.

    Respondents in the suit are: the Clerk of the National Assembly, the Senate, the President of the Senate, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Neda Imasuen (the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct).

    At yesterday’s proceedings, Justice Nyako said there was a new development in the case, which was the issue of contempt raised by Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio.

    She said: “We have a new happening that came up yesterday: one from Mr. Daudu (representing Akpabio) and one from the plaintiff.

    “These two applications and the originating summons is what should be focused on today.”

    She directed parties to identify and adopt the documents they filed in relation to the contempt issue.

    Natasha’s lawyer, Michael Numa (SAN), who identified what he filed, said his client’s application sought the court’s disciplinary action against the defendants for their alleged contemptuous act.

    Read Also: Alleged social media post: Court to hear contempt charge against Natasha

    The lawyer also identified and adopted all their processes and urged the court to grant the prayers sought by the suspended senator.

    He urged the court to overrule and dismiss the defendants’ preliminary objection and grant the reliefs sought in the originating motion.

    Charles Yoila appeared for the Clerk of the Senate; Paul Daudu (SAN) represented the Senate; Ogunwumiju appeared for Akpabio, and Valentine appeared for Imasuen: they all identified and adopted their processes, including the preliminary objection.

    The lawyers urged the court to look at the set of facts, showing clearly the alleged disobedience to court order by the plaintiff.

    The defendants urged the court to hold that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit and to dismiss the suit in its entirety.

    Also, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama yesterday criticized suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for her wrongful usage of her X (Twitter) platform.

    Justice Sylvanus Oriji said it was wrong for a person of Natasha’s status, as a serving senator, to make wrong claims on her social media platform.

    The judge said: “Before I go further, the point must be made that it is improper, reprehensible and unconscionable for a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to post the picture of the applicant’s house and the house address on her X social media page on the unfounded belief that the property belonged to Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State. “

    “Such a conduct must be and is hereby deprecated by the court.”

    The judge made the comments while delivering judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State, Ali Bello.

    In the suit, Bello had claimed, among others, that the publication of the pictures of his house and address in Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s X-handle @Natashaakpoti on March 15, last year, was against the provisions of Section 37 of the Constitution.

  • JUST IN: Court fixes June 27 for judgment in Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others 

    JUST IN: Court fixes June 27 for judgment in Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others 

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled judgment for June 27 in the suit filed by the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, challenging her suspension from the Senate for six months.

    Justice Binta Nyako chose the date on Tuesday after parties in the suit made their final submissions and adopted their written addresses.

    Justice Nyako said he will first decide the contempt claims by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Natasha, then give her opinions on the various preliminary objections raised by the respondents and if necessary, determine the substantive suit.

    Read Also: Alleged social media post: Court to hear contempt charge against Natasha

    She said: “I want to believe that all processes are in. What I am going to do is to first of all look at the issues of contempt and take a decision on it.

    “Then, I will look at the notices of preliminary objection. If they succeeds, that is the end of the case and if they don’t, I will look at the originating summons filed by the plaintiff,” Justice Nyako said.

    Details shortly…

  • Alleged social media post: Court to hear contempt charge against Natasha

    Alleged social media post: Court to hear contempt charge against Natasha

    The Federal High Court in Abujato hear the contempt charge filed by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, against Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over alleged social media post in breach of the court order.

    Justice Binta Nyako, who adjourned the matter until Tuesday by noon, also said she would hear the earlier contempt charge filed by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio, the Senate and others over allegations of disobedience to earlier court order.

    “I want a copy of the Senate rules as well. I will take you tomorrow. I am going to clear the diary,” the judge said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Nyako had, on April 4, restrained all parties in the suit filed by Akpoti-Udughan from granting media interviews or engage in social media post In respect of the subject matter before the court.

    Read Also: Why I will not step down over Natasha’s sexual allegations, by Akpabio

    The development followed a complaint by Akpabio’s lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, that Akpoti-Uduaghan had allegedly been going from one media station to another, granting press interviews on issues relating to the suit

    However, Akpabio, had filed a motion accusing her of flouting the court order by posting a “satirical letter” on her Facebook page.

    Also, Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier filed a contempt charge against the defendants for suspending her in contravention with the order given by the former presiding judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, restraining  all the defendants from taking any action pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

    The embattled senator had sued the Clerk of the National Assembly (NASS), Akpabio, the Senate and Sen. Neda Imasuem, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

    (NAN)