Court Rejects FG’s Application For Bench Warrant Against Senator Natasha.
On Monday, Justice Musa Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the Federal Government’s attempt to arrest Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for failing to attend for the start of her defamation trial.
The government is pursuing Akpoti-Uduaghan on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
During the day’s proceedings, the prosecution attorney, David Kaswe, informed the court that the matter was for arraignment, but the defendant was not there.
Kaswe informed the court that he served the charge on the defendant’s counsel, implying that the defendant was well aware of the situation.
The prosecutor asked the court to issue a bench warrant against the defendant for failing to appear in court despite being aware of the charges against her.
“We were able to serve the defendant this morning through her attorney, but she is not present in court.
“So, it means the defendant is aware of the situation but chose not to appear in court.” In light of this, I request that a bench warrant be issued for her failure to appear in court to enter a plea to this criminal accusation,” Kaswe stated.
Counsel representing Akpoti-Uduaghan, Jacob Usman (SAN), told the court that he found the prosecution’s submission unusual and disrespectful.
Usman told the court that when he learnt of the suit’s pending status, he called the prosecutor to inform him that his client had requested that he receive the charge on her behalf.
“I was served the charge at 9:15 a.m. today in court, so how would the defendant know that the subject is coming up if she has not seen the charge?
“I find the application unusual, and it should be rejected. “If the defendant has not been served, she cannot appear in court,” he stated.
He asked the court to reject the application because it was done in bad taste.The trial judge, Justice Musa Umar, asked the prosecutor if he had served the charge on the defendant, to which he said no.
Justice Umar, therefore, stated that it was impossible to grant the prosecutor’s application and issue a bench warrant for the defendant’s arrest when she had not been served.
He denied the application for a bench warrant and instead approved the motion for substituted service through her lawyer, which the prosecutor appeared to make as an afterthought.
The judge deferred the case until June 30, 2025, for arraignment.
The complaint was linked to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged defamatory comments made during a live television broadcast on April 3, 2025.
She allegedly made derogatory remarks against Akpabio and Bello, including plans to murder her.