Nigerian government sues senator over assassination claims
BBCThe Nigerian government has pressed charges against a senator who accused one of the country's top politicians of plotting to kill her.
In April, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, and Yahaya Bello, a former state governor, wanted to "eliminate" her. Both have denied the accusation.
Weeks before, Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused the Senate president of sexually harassing her - an allegation he has also denied.
The government has now filed charges with the High Court, saying Akpoti-Uduaghan's assassination allegation defamed Akpabio and Bello.
In the charge sheet, seen by the BBC, Nigeria's attorney general referenced a live interview broadcast by Nigeria's Channels TV last month.
In the interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke of "discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello... to eliminate me".
The attorney general said this statement, and others made in the same broadcast, could harm Bello and Akpabio's reputations.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has not responded publicly to the charges against her and no date has been set for her to appear in court.
The case marks the latest twist in a row that has engrossed Nigeria, raising questions about gender equality in the socially conservative nation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of just four women out of 109 senators.
After accusing Akabio of sexual harassment in February, she was suspended from the Senate for six months without pay.
The Senate's ethics committee said the suspension was for her "unruly and disruptive" behaviour while the Senate was debating her allegations.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan and her supporters argued that the committee was targeting her because of the allegations she had made against the senate president.
In March, she told the BBC she felt the Senate "operates like a cult". She also said that because her security detail had been removed, she feared for the safety of her two-year-old child.
Additional reporting by Nkechi Ogbonna in Lagos
More Nigeria stories from the BBC:
Getty Images/BBCGo to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica