Abuja, November 24, 2025 – The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has once again postponed the cybercrime trial of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, with the case now scheduled to commence on February 4, 2026.
Justice Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, was absent from court on Monday, forcing the adjournment of the proceedings that had been specifically fixed for hearing on that date. Court officials informed parties present that the matter would return early next year.
This latest postponement marks yet another delay in a case that has struggled to get off the ground since the senator was first arraigned in June 2025.
The trial had previously suffered a setback on October 21, 2025, when nationwide protests led by activist and politician Omoyele Sowore disrupted court activities across the Federal Capital Territory. The demonstrations, which called for the release of the recently convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, effectively paralysed judicial proceedings in several courts, including Justice Umar’s courtroom.
Background of the Case
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 30, 2025, on a six-count charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025, centre on alleged violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024. Prosecutors accuse the senator of knowingly transmitting false and injurious statements through electronic media with the intent to malign, incite, endanger lives, and breach public peace and order.
The most serious allegations stem from public statements the senator allegedly made on April 4, 2025, while addressing a gathering in Ihima, her hometown in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State. According to the charge sheet, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had instructed former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to arrange her assassination.
The prosecution further alleges that she repeated the same grave accusation during a subsequent television interview, asserting that both Akpabio and Bello had plotted to have her killed because of her political activities and outspokenness in the National Assembly.
Following her arraignment in June, Justice Umar granted the senator bail on liberal terms and initially fixed September 22, 2025, for the commencement of trial.
September Setback and Preliminary Objection
When parties returned to court on September 22, the trial could not proceed as planned. Defence counsel, Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, raised a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
More significantly, the senior advocate argued that the prosecution amounted to an abuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Attorney-General of the Federation. West-Idahosa told the court that a formal notice of the preliminary objection had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
Additionally, the defence complained that it had not been served with copies of statements of prosecution witnesses, a disclosure requirement under Nigerian criminal procedure.
Prosecuting counsel David Kaswe urged the court to proceed with the day’s business, insisting that the objection should not be allowed to stall opening of the case. Moments earlier, court officials had mounted a large television screen in the courtroom, apparently in preparation for playing video evidence the prosecution intended to tender through its first witness.
Justice Umar, however, ruled that the preliminary objection must be heard and determined first. He directed the prosecution to file a formal response and adjourned the matter to October 21, 2025.
That October date was subsequently scuttled by the Sowore’s protest.
Monday’s Brief Proceeding
Only a handful of journalists, lawyers, and political associates of the senator were present in court on Monday morning. After waiting for over an hour, the court registrar announced that Justice Umar would not be sitting and that all matters listed before him were adjourned.
The registrar informed counsel that the cybercrime case against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had been assigned a new date: February 4, 2026.
Political Context
The case has generated considerable political interest, coming against the backdrop of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s often fractious relationship with the Senate leadership and certain powerful interests in her home state of Kogi.
Since her election in 2023 (and subsequent controversial re-run in 2024), the senator, who sits on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has positioned herself as a vocal advocate for women’s rights, good governance, and accountability in the extractive sector, particularly the mining industry in Kogi State.
Her critics, however, accuse her of making reckless and defamatory statements that threaten public order. Supporters insist the charges are politically motivated and represent an attempt to silence a dissenting voice in the upper legislative chamber.
As the case now heads into 2026, observers say the lengthy delays risk turning the trial into a prolonged political spectacle rather than a swift determination of the allegations on their legal merits.
For now, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan remains on bail and continues to perform her legislative duties while awaiting what has been billed as the substantive commencement of her trial on February 4, 2026.
