Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected a request by the Federal Government to have suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan arrested for failing to appear for trial in the defamation charges against her.
New Telegraph gathered that the judge declined the request in a ruling after the government’s counsel, David Kaswe, admitted that he served the defamation charge on Natasha’s lawyer on Monday morning in the courtroom.
Justice Umar said that as the Kogi Central senator had not previously been served the charge or hearing notice, it was therefore inconceivable that she would be present in the courtroom. On that premise, the judge refused the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant to be issued for the arrest of the suspended senator.
The judge disagreed with the prosecution’s argument that, as her legal counsel had been served, it was only expected that the senator was aware of her pending arraignment.
Following the court’s ruling, the prosecution applied for substituted service of the charge on the senator through her counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN). The application was granted by the court, which then fixed June 30 for her arraignment.
The Nigerian government, through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, had filed charges bordering on defamation against the senator.
