•Natasha and Akpabio
Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, demanding urgent probe of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and a Facebook influencer, Sandra Duru, popularly known as “Prof. Mgbeke”, over what her lawyers described as serial blackmail and defamation.
In the petition dated 15th May, 2025 and signed by her lawyer, Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa SAN, the senator demanded “an urgent investigation of Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio (President of the Senate) for orchestrating a malicious campaign of criminal defamation, cyber-stalking, conspiracy, and attempted assassination” against her, reports Vanguard.
Noting that the petition was supported by incontrovertible evidence from public broadcasts, witness testimonies, media reports, and expert analyses, the lawyers said the documents demonstrate a deliberate retaliatory campaign by Senator Akpabio, using proxies and resources at his disposal, to harm Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reputation, jeopardize her safety, and obstruct justice after she accused him of sexual harassment.
Part of the petition reads: “In the weeks following our client’s suspension from the Senate, a previously unknown individual styling herself as ‘Professor Mgbeke’ began publishing sympathetic commentaries on Facebook, offering scholarly support to what she described as ‘the persecution of women in politics.’ She consistently identified as ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ and never once acknowledged being Sandra Duru. She adopted the persona of an academic committed to amplifying women’s voices, and it was in this capacity that she gained the attention of our client and many Nigerians who supported gender equity.
“Moved by her apparent sincerity and scholarship, our client contacted ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ to express gratitude, as she often does with individuals who show consistent public support. However, what followed shocked our client: ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ made persistent overtures requesting a contractual retainer to formally ‘support’ our client’s public image. She demanded to be paid for what she portrayed as a capacity to ‘frame narratives’ and rally digital support. Our client politely declined any form of transactional engagement. Immediately thereafter, ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ began sending aggressive messages, and within days, began what evolved into a deliberate, malicious and coordinated campaign of character assassination.
“At the time of their interaction and throughout the initial smear campaign, our client did not know that ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ was in fact Dr Sandra Duru, a Nigerian residing in Texas. In fact, when our client reported the threats to law enforcement, and was asked to identify Sandra Duru, she responded truthfully that she had never heard that name. It was only after the May 1, 2025 broadcast and following investigations by journalists and testimonies of accomplices that the true identity of ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ was unmasked as Sandra Duru. This deception forms the foundation of a false identity used to gain trust, manipulate public opinion, and eventually, launch a treasonous smear campaign against a sitting Senator”.
Accordingly, the petitioner prayed for a comprehensive probe into the allegations, focusing on individuals involved in planning, funding, and execution.
The lawyer also called for questioning of Dr Sandra Duru and other implicated individuals, including key witnesses and accomplices.
Other demands included a forensic examination of electronic evidence, including doctored audio recordings, call logs, and digital files, as well as an “urgent request for security measures for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and key witnesses to ensure their safety”.
The petitioner also requested the indictment and prosecution of all culpable individuals to uphold justice and that the Police thoroughly investigate the veracity of all statements made by “Prof. Mgbeke” (now revealed to be Sandra Duru) during and after the 1st May 2025 broadcast, including all communications between her and known associates of Senator Akpabio.
“That statements and actions of third-party collaborators who publicly endorsed the defamatory broadcast, be examined to determine their knowledge of and participation in the conspiracy.
“We maintain that the actions against our client amount to a criminal enterprise violating multiple laws. We respectfully urge your service to painstakingly investigate the contents of this Petition and ensure that justice is expeditiously dispensed to all who may be found wanting regardless of their status in the Nigerian society”, the petitioner added.
Noting that the backdrop of the case is one of personal grievance, the petitioner said Senator Akpabio, feeling aggrieved and “traumatised” by the public accusation (as he himself described) and seeing his reputation at stake, had clear motive to retaliate and discredit Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in any way possible.
“Shortly after the sexual harassment claim and suspension, our client observed a sudden surge of defamatory propaganda against her on social media and in certain press outlets. Evidence now shows that this was no organic backlash, but a coordinated smear campaign sponsored by Senator Akpabio as a form of revenge.
“It is pertinent to highlight further evidence demonstrating the operational nexus between Senator Godswill Akpabio and Dr Sandra Duru. As inadvertently revealed during her live broadcast of 1st May 2025, Dr Duru’s call log displayed multiple contacts, including ‘My Daddy Directline,’ ‘IGP Kayode’, ‘Senator Akpabio’ (with at least two saved numbers), ‘Oby Ndukwe’ (the media aide to the Senate President, who later appeared on Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye to publicly condemn our client), and ‘CP Imo Aboki Danjuma’ as well as ‘Senator Ned Nwoko,’” he added.
According to the petitioner, the presence of these names, particularly those occupying high-level positions within Nigeria’s security architecture, strongly suggests that Senator Akpabio and Dr Duru were acting in concert, possibly with the support or knowledge of certain police officials.
“This revelation further strengthens our client’s position that the defamatory campaign and associated threats were not the isolated acts of a rogue individual, but the product of a coordinated effort involving Senator Akpabio and his political and security network, intended to discredit, harass, and endanger her.
“Shortly after the broadcast, Mr Monday Ubani, SAN, a Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Akpabio and also his counsel on record before the Sexual Harassment petition hearing before the Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. Mr Ubani, SAN a known ally and associate of Senator Godswill Akpabio, publicly eulogised ‘Prof. Mgbeke’, praising her courage and purported factual expositions. This endorsement came at a time when multiple stakeholders were condemning the broadcast as false, defamatory, and dangerous. Mr. Ubani’s eulogy, when viewed alongside the call log linking ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ to Senator Akpabio, suggests insider awareness and tacit approval from Akpabio’s inner circle. It further entrenches the case that the defamatory broadcast was not an isolated act by a rogue individual, but a concerted operation backed by political actors loyal to Senator Akpabio.
“One of the most grievous and inflammatory claims made by ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ was the allegation that our client was part of a covert plan to ‘remove the Yoruba government’. This assertion, by its very nature, imputes that our client was involved in a plot against the executive arm of the Federal Government. Such an allegation, particularly when made in public and broadcast via computer networks, fulfils the threshold for conspiracy to commit a treasonable felony. It is not only defamatory but also a criminal falsehood that invites unlawful prosecution and public hostility. The deliberate use of ethnic framing, implying that our client was targeting an ethnic bloc in government was meant to incite national disaffection and trigger security backlash against her,” the petitioner added.
