Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, this Monday, 22)9/25 adjourned till 20 October, the full-blown hearing of the six-count cybercrime charge bright by the Federal Government against the suspended Senator for Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, till October 20.
The adjournment followed a fresh application by the defendant challenging the jurisdiction of the court to try the suspended senator.
According to reports, FG’s lawyer, Mr. David Kaswe, at the resumption of hearing told the court that his witness was available for the commencement of the trial, resulting in Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lead lawyer, Mr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, draw attention of the court to a preliminary objection his client filed to challenge its jurisdiction to hear the case.
While reminding the court that the objection centered on alleged abuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, he also revealed that the prosecution failed to serve him with copies of full statements of the proposed witnesses.
Presenting his own argument, FG’s lawyer argued that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s objection was not sufficient to stall the commencement of the trial and urged the court to allow the prosecution to open its case, insisting that the court has the requisite jurisdiction to hear cybercrime charge.
However, in his ruling, Justice Mohammed Umar held that he would hear the objection first before taking further steps in the case.
Recall, Akpoti-Uduaghan who had been arraigned on June 30 on a six-count charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar.
The charge claims that Akpoti-Uduaghan, while addressing a gathering on April 4, 2025, in Ihima, Kogi State, alleged that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, instructed a former governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello, to have her killed in the state.
She was also alleged to have, in a television interview, repeated similar claims, to the effect that the Senate President and the former governor plotted to kill her in her state.
