The Federal Government has formally discontinued the criminal defamation case instituted against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, bringing the trial to an end.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), authorised the withdrawal of the charges through a notice filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Court documents sighted on Sunday showed that the notice was signed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, acting on behalf of the AGF.
The notice, titled “Notice of Discontinuance of Proceedings in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR.195/2025,” was filed pursuant to Sections 108 (1), (2) and (5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
It stated that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation had decided to discontinue proceedings against the Kogi Central senator.
Justice Umar Garba, who is presiding over the case, is expected to formally strike out or dismiss the charges at the next adjourned date when the court resumes from its Christmas vacation.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 3, 2025, over alleged defamatory statements linking Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello to an assassination plot. She pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on self-recognisance.
