The trial in the cybercrime case against suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was postponed on Monday after her defense team raised a preliminary objection before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The case, which was scheduled to commence with the prosecution presenting its first witness, has now been adjourned to October 20, 2025, for the hearing of the defense’s motion.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 30 on a six-count charge related to alleged cybercrime against Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. She pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on self-recognition.
When the case resumed on Monday, prosecuting counsel David Kaswe announced the prosecution’s readiness to begin, noting that their first witness was present and a television screen was set up for evidence. However, defense counsel Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) objected, insisting that his client’s preliminary objection must be determined first.
West-Idahosa clarified that the objection was not a challenge to the charges themselves but to what he described as an “abuse of prosecutorial powers” by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). He also complained that the defense had not been served with the statements of the prosecution’s witnesses.
Despite Kaswe’s plea for the trial to proceed, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that the defense’s motion was fundamental and must be addressed before the trial could continue. He subsequently adjourned the matter until October 20, 2025, for the hearing of the objection.
The allegations against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stem from a petition filed by Senate President Akpabio to the Inspector-General of Police. The charges, filed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, accuse her of transmitting false and injurious information. One of the counts alleges that she claimed in a public address on April 4, 2025, that Akpabio instructed Yahaya Bello to arrange for her assassination in Kogi State.
