Court Rebukes Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Over Privacy Violation in Social Media Post

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama has harshly criticized suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for what it described as an irresponsible use of social media in a case brought against her by Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo.

According to DailyPost, the case—FCT/HC/CV/2574/2024—was centered around a post Akpoti-Uduaghan made on X (formerly Twitter) on March 15, 2024. In the post, she shared the photo and address of a private residence in Abuja, alleging that it was where former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello was hiding from the EFCC. She also insinuated that the house was part of Bello’s allegedly ill-gotten assets.

Ali Bello sued for N1 billion in damages, claiming that the post endangered his family and violated his constitutional rights to privacy, dignity, and property as outlined in Sections 34(1), 35(1), 37, 43, and 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

In delivering judgment, Justice Sylvanus Oriji condemned the senator’s actions, describing her post as inappropriate and irresponsible. “It is improper, reprehensible and unconscionable for a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to post the picture of the applicant’s house and the house address on her X social media page on the unfounded belief that the property belonged to Yahaya Bello, former Governor of Kogi State,” the judge declared.

The court considered three main issues: whether Bello’s privacy was breached, whether Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions violated his fundamental rights, and whether he was entitled to the reliefs sought.

Although the court acknowledged that the house was not hidden from public view, it stated that sharing its image and address online without evidence went beyond acceptable boundaries. Justice Oriji stressed that while the act of photographing a house isn’t automatically harmful, in this context it violated constitutional rights.

The court found no proof that Yahaya Bello was in the house when EFCC agents arrived, or that the property had ever been subject to forfeiture proceedings. Furthermore, it was confirmed—both in court and through a physical visit to the residence—that the house belongs to Ali Bello and that he lives there with his family.

As a result, the court ruled in favor of Bello on his claim that his rights had been breached, granting him declaratory relief. However, no monetary damages were awarded, and both parties were instructed to cover their own legal costs.