The Federal Government has withdrawn the criminal defamation case instituted against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Certified court documents obtained in Abuja over the weekend show that the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) filed a Notice of Discontinuance on December 12, 2025, before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, effectively bringing the criminal proceedings against the Kogi Central lawmaker to an end.
The case, filed in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, followed petitions submitted by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had been charged with criminal defamation and cyber-bullying over remarks she made during a televised interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, in which she alleged that there were plans to eliminate her.
According to the Notice of Discontinuance, the charges were withdrawn pursuant to the provisions of Sections 108(1), 108(2)(a) and 108(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, as well as under the inherent powers of the court.
The document was signed on behalf of the Attorney-General by officials of the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation and was duly certified by the court.
The decision followed months of legal controversy surrounding the case, during which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns over alleged threats to her life.
Although she was said to have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the alleged threats, she was subsequently arraigned on criminal charges for raising the alarm. Several prominent Nigerians, including Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, newly sworn-in Ambassador Reno Omokri, Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, among others, had been listed as prosecution witnesses.
