Justice Musa Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected the Federal Government’s request for a bench warrant to arrest Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for failing to appear at the start of her defamation trial.
The case, filed on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, stems from allegedly defamatory comments made by Akpoti-Uduaghan during a live television appearance on April 3, 2025.
At the proceedings, prosecuting counsel David Kaswe informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment but the defendant was absent. He said the charge had been served on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, implying that she was aware of the case and had willfully failed to attend. Kaswe therefore urged the court to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
“It was this morning that we were able to serve the defendant through her counsel, but she is not in court,” he said. “This shows she is aware of the matter but chose not to appear. I apply for a bench warrant to compel her attendance.”
However, defence counsel Jacob Usman (SAN) opposed the application, describing it as improper and discourteous. Usman explained that upon learning of the case, he contacted the prosecutor and agreed to receive the charge on his client’s behalf. He was served at 9:15 a.m. that same morning, in court.
“How could the defendant have known to appear if she hadn’t seen the charge?” Usman asked, urging the court to reject the application as baseless and made in bad faith.
Justice Umar then questioned whether the defendant had been directly served with the charge. When the prosecutor admitted she had not, the judge ruled that a bench warrant could not be issued without proper service. Instead, he approved substituted service through her counsel, a request the prosecutor made belatedly.
The matter was adjourned to June 30, 2025, for arraignment.
