By Suleiman Anyalewechi
After failed attempts to serve Senator Onyekachi Nwaenonyi with necessary court papers, an Abuja High Court has granted Senator Natasha Akpoti Ufuaghan and her legal team the order for a substituted service.
The Source reports that the suspended Kogi Central Senator had, in April, filed a defamation suit against the Senator representing Ebonyi North at a Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court.
In the suit marked CV/1359/2025 , Senator Natasha is demanding N5 billion in damages to her reputation as a result of some alleged defamatory remarks credited to her Ebonyi State counterpart.
According to Natatsha, Senator Nwaebonyi, had on March 6, 2025, during an interview session with Channels Television referred to her as “a gold digger, habitual blackmailer and liar.
She also claimed that her Senator-colleague during the same television appearance impugned her marital fidelity by suggesting that she is a mother of six children from an equal number of men.
In her statement of claims, Senator Natasha, apart from referring to the remarks as “false, malicious and defamatory, also stated that the comments caused significant harm to her reputation as well as bringing her public opprobrium.
In all, she is praying the Court for an order restraining Senator Nwaebonyi from making any further defamatory and malicious assertions against her person.
She urged the court to award her the sum of N5 billion, representing aggravated and exemplary damages to her reputation.
Justice Angela Otaluka while ruling in an ex-parte motion granted the order for the substituted service on Wednesday after hearing arguments by Natasha’s legal team.
Senator Natasha’s lead Counsel, Yahuza Zakari, had prayed the Court for an order to allow the applicants to serve the Court papers either through the Clerk of the Senate, or that of the National Assembly.
In the alternative, he asked for the publication of the Court papers in a national newspaper, in view of the difficulties so far associated with serving the defendant personally.
“There is need to serve the originating processes ,and any other incidental process via substituted means in order to bring this matter to the defendant’s attention ,owing to the impractical nature of serving the defendant personally.
“That service of the processes by publication in a widely circulated national daily newspaper in Nigeria ,or through the Clerk of the National Assembly,or the Clerk of the Senate ,will bring the suit to the attention of the defendant.
“This honourable Court has the inherent jurisdiction to grant an order for substituted service with ,or without an attempt to personally serve ,depending on the circumstances.
“It will be in the interest of justice for service to be effected through substituted means”, Senator Natasha’s legal team submitted.
In her ruling, Justice Otaluka ordered that Senator Nwaebonyi be served through newspaper publication.
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