Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central Senatorial District has filed a N5 billion defamatory suit against her colleague in the 10th Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi who represents Ebonyi North Central Senatorial District.

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The suit which has already been lodged at the Federal Capital Territory High Court is seeking a compensation of N5 billion as a result of damage done to her by Senator Nwaebonyi in an interview he granted on Channels Television on March 6, 2025

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Natasha thrpigh her lawyer, Michael Numa declared claims by Senator Nwaebonyi as false and malicious which should not have come from him.

In the interview on Channels Television, Akpoti-Uduaghan said that Nwaebonyi described her as a “gold digger, habitual liar, and habitual blackmailer” during the interview.

She said Nwaebonyi’s claims that she is a other of six children from different men was false, defamatory and out rightly malicious.

She noted that such remarks undermine her reputation as a role model for women aspiring to enter politics.
“The defendant’s characterisation of the claimant as a ‘mother of six from different men’ is baseless, malicious, and reckless,” the suit states.

“The claimant is an inspiration to women in politics and aspiring women for speaking truth to power.

“The claimant is not tarnishing the chances of women in politics as falsely alleged. Rather, she is inspiring women to be bold in their pursuit of political aspirations and good governance.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan in the suit contends that Nwaebonyi’s statements have caused significant harm to her reputation and public embarrassment.

The senator from Kogi proceeded to seek a court order restraining Nwaebonyi from making further malicious statements against her.

Additionally, she asked the court to direct Nwaebonyi to pay N5 billion in aggravated and exemplary damages for the false, malicious, and injurious statements made against her.

She also requested that the court compel Nwaebonyi to retract the defamatory remarks on the same platform where they were initially made and issue an unreserved apology.

The court filing seeks “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies, or anyone acting on his behalf from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of, or any other defamatory statements concerning the claimant.”

The document further requests “an order of this Honourable Court compelling the defendant to retract the defamatory statements on the same platforms used to make the allegations and to tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers, both in print and online, circulated nationwide, within seven days from the date of judgment.”

It also calls for “an order of this Honourable Court awarding the sum of £5 billion as aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the claimant for the false, malicious, and injurious statements that have caused the claimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress.”

She also sought, “an order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgment interest on the judgment sum at a rate of 10% per annum from the date of delivery of the judgment until the judgment debt is fully paid.”

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On April 7, 2025, the U.S. company General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

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Under this agreement, GA-EMS will serve as Rafael’s U.S. partner and the prime contractor for the production of the Bullseye, a long-range, precision-guided strike missile. The announcement was made by representatives from both companies at the Sea-Air-Space Conference organized by the Navy League of the United States in National Harbor, Maryland.

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The collaboration between GA-EMS and Rafael combines Rafael’s design, maturation, and testing of the Bullseye missile with GA-EMS’s manufacturing and integration infrastructure in the U.S. (Picture source: GA-EMS)

The Bullseye will be manufactured in the United States and offered to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) customers. It is designed to meet U.S. military specifications and support a range of precision-fires missions for the DoD and allied coalition partners. The missile is intended to provide multi-platform launch capability from air, ground, and maritime systems, and is positioned to enable massed strike delivery at a reduced unit cost. GA-EMS will manufacture and integrate the missile at its facility in Tupelo, Mississippi, which functions as a manufacturing center with experience in engineering, design, integration, testing, and production of complex systems and components in support of U.S. national security programs.

Scott Forney, President of GA-EMS, stated that Bullseye would be manufactured in the United States for delivery to U.S. military customers and that the collaboration would leverage Rafael’s existing investment in missile design and testing to reduce development risk and cost while enabling production-scale delivery of a precision-guided missile. Yuval Miller, Executive Vice President and Head of Rafael’s Air & C4ISR Systems Division, said the joint effort would combine Rafael’s missile technologies with GA-EMS’s manufacturing capabilities to develop a system designed to meet evolving mission requirements with a focus on accuracy, flexibility, and affordability.

The Bullseye missile features a modular and scalable design, allowing for incremental development, system upgrades, and cross-service interoperability to address different service requirements. The missile is currently assessed at Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL 8). Rafael has already completed testing in areas such as aerodynamics, engine performance, seeker functionality, and launch integration. Additional testing is planned to qualify the missile for flight and confirm operational readiness. Deliveries of the missile are scheduled to begin in late 2025.

The system is configured to operate in Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments. It incorporates multiple technical features, including Very Low Observable (VLO) characteristics under various weather conditions, advanced automatic terrain avoidance (ATA), automatic target recognition (ATR), and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-independent guidance. The missile also supports synchronized attack capability, advanced mission planning, and autonomous flight operations, with the option for human decision intervention (man-in-the-loop backup).

The Bullseye is compatible with multiple launch platforms, including jet fighters, light attack aircraft, helicopters, small maritime vessels, and ground vehicles. Its design allows for the integration of various warhead payloads and propulsion configurations, enabling adaptation to different mission profiles.

These include deep-strike scenarios, anti-ship and anti-surface missions, electronic warfare, and decoy operations. The missile system is designed to provide long-range strike capability against selected target sets across multiple domains, while offering cost-efficiency through its modularity and scalability.

The collaboration between GA-EMS and Rafael combines Rafael’s design, maturation, and testing of the Bullseye system with GA-EMS’s manufacturing and integration infrastructure in the U.S. The objective is to provide a production-scale delivery capability aligned with U.S. military operational and logistical requirements.

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His Excellency,
Alhaji Usman Ododo
The Governor of Kogi State
Government House
Lokoja, Kogi State

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Formal Retraction of Media Statement Regarding Alleged Diversion of N13.4 Billion.

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Your Excellency, I would like you to accept this letter as a formal retraction of the statement that I, Usman Okai Austin, Comrade Okpanachi Jacob and Peter Onuma made during a press briefing of last month, as it has to do with the matter titled “Group Demands Immediate Refund of N13.4 Billion Allegedly Diverted from State Coffers by the Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo.”

Upon further review and diligent comparison of the relevant facts, particularly those provided by the State Government concerning the disbursement of funds intended for local government development, I came to the realization after much briefing and clarification of the significant discrepancies in the information upon which the previous statement was based on at the material time. Specifically, I now understand that the funds in question amounts to Three Billion Naira (N3,000,000,000.00) and that the State Government has provided documentation outlining the approved sharing formula for these released funds, which are hereby attached for your kind perusal.

Consequently, I acknowledge that our previous comments may have inadvertently caused confusion and were based on inaccurate information about the financial details *available to us* at that material time.
I hereby apologise on behalf of myself, Okpanachi Jacob, and Peter Onuma, who were invited as part of the press conference and withdraw the said statement in its entirety.

Furthermore, we wish to categorically state that our activities within Kogi State are devoid of bigotry or Party differences as alleged by some quarters, rather a sincere participation in ensuring that you write your name in the golden history of our dear State.

Our collective intention has consistently been to provide an opposing voice and contribute to holding the government accountable, a role we believe is vital in a democratic society.

We have no personal animosity, hatred, or ill feelings towards your Government, Personality, Tribe, or any member of your family. We hold your Excellency, Governor Usman Ododo, in high regard as the duly elected Governor of our esteemed state.

It is never our intention to demean your Excellency in Person, your Family or Office. However, we take full responsibility for any damage or inconveniences my assertions may have caused.

This retraction is made in good faith, and we deeply regret any distress or harm the previous remarks may have caused to your Excellency, the administration, or the good people of Kogi State.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

Long live Kogi State!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Yours Faithfully,

Comr. Usman Okai Austin, CCA

Documents outlining the sharing formula of the N3 Billion local government development funds.

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