A superior court of the Territory of the Federal Capital has granted a replaced service order against Onyakachi Nwaebonyi, the senator who represents Ebonyi North, in a defamation lawsuit filed by its central counterpart of Kogi, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Judge President Angela Otaluka granted the application on Wednesday after an ex -party motion filed by Natasha, who seeks to serve Ebonyi senator through alternative means after failed attempts on personal service.
During the procedures, Natasha's lawyer, Yahuza Zakari, urged the Court to allow the service of judicial documents by publishing them in a national newspaper or delivering them through the Secretary of the National Assembly or the Senate.
“It is necessary to address the processes of origin and any other incidental process through replaced means to attract this matter to the care of the accused, due to the un practical nature of serving the accused personally,” the application said.
“That service of the processes through publication in a national newspaper widely circulated in Nigeria, or through the Secretary of the National Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate, will call attention to the accused.
“This honorable court has the inherent jurisdiction to grant a replaced service order with or without an attempt to serve personally, depending on the circumstances. It will be in the interest of justice so that the service is carried out through substitute means.”
The motion, Judge Otaluka ordered that the senator be attended through the publication of newspapers.
The case, marked CV/1359/2025 and presented in April, is derived from the comments that Nwaebonyi allegedly conducted during a March 6 interview on Canal television. Natasha argues that the statements were “false and malicious.”
Read also: FG presents criminal charges against Senator Natasha for alleged defamation
According to the lawsuit, Nwaebonyi referred to her as a “habitual liar and habitual chantajista” during the transmission.
Kogi's senator had also disagreed with the comments they suggest that he is “a mother of six men from different men”, describing them as “false, malicious and defamatory.”
He affirmed that the comments caused substantial damage to his reputation and gave him public shame.
Natasha is asking the court to prevent NWAEBONYI from making more “malicious” statements and seeks N5 billion in “aggravated damages and copies in favor of the claimant for the false, malicious and harmful declaration.”
Read too Main stories OF Nigerian tribe