Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, calling for a full investigation into what she describes as a coordinated campaign of defamation and intimidation against her.
At the centre of the petition are Senate President Godswill Akpabio and a Facebook influencer known as “Prof. Mgbeke”, now identified as Dr Sandra Duru, a Nigerian based in Texas.
In the petition dated May 15, 2025, and signed by her lawyer, Dr Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN), the Kogi Central senator alleged that Akpabio was behind a “malicious campaign of criminal defamation, cyber-stalking, conspiracy, and attempted assassination.”
The campaign, she claimed, was retaliation after she accused the Senate President of sexual harassment.
According to her legal team, evidence, including media reports, public broadcasts, and expert analysis, shows that Akpabio used proxies and state resources to attack her reputation and put her life at risk.
Part of the alleged plot involves the activities of Sandra Duru, who operated under the alias “Prof. Mgbeke.”
According to the petition, Duru presented herself online as a pro-women academic, publishing posts in support of Akpoti-Uduaghan after her suspension from the Senate.
“In the weeks following our client’s suspension from the Senate, a previously unknown individual styling herself as ‘Professor Mgbeke’ began publishing sympathetic commentaries on Facebook, offering scholarly support to what she described as ‘the persecution of women in politics,’” the petition reads.
“She consistently identified as ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ and never once acknowledged being Sandra Duru. She adopted the persona of an academic committed to amplifying women’s voices, and it was in this capacity that she gained the attention of our client and many Nigerians who supported gender equity.”
Impressed by her public advocacy, Akpoti-Uduaghan reached out to thank “Prof. Mgbeke.” But the petition says that quickly turned into something more sinister.
“Moved by her apparent sincerity and scholarship, our client contacted ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ to express gratitude, as she often does with individuals who show consistent public support.
“However, what followed shocked our client: ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ made persistent overtures requesting a contractual retainer to formally ‘support’ our client’s public image.
“She demanded to be paid for what she portrayed as a capacity to ‘frame narratives’ and rally digital support. Our client politely declined any form of transactional engagement.
“Immediately thereafter, ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ began sending aggressive messages, and within days, began what evolved into a deliberate, malicious and coordinated campaign of character assassination.”
At the time, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she had no idea “Prof. Mgbeke” was actually Sandra Duru. It was only after a live broadcast on May 1 and follow-up investigations that her true identity was revealed.
“This deception forms the foundation of a false identity used to gain trust, manipulate public opinion, and eventually, launch a treasonous smear campaign against a sitting Senator,” the petition stated.
The senator is now asking the police to launch a thorough investigation into all parties involved in the campaign, those who planned it, funded it, and helped execute it.
She wants Duru and other individuals named in the case to be questioned, including possible collaborators and witnesses.
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The petition also calls for a forensic review of phone records, digital files, and audio recordings linked to the campaign.
“That statements and actions of third-party collaborators who publicly endorsed the defamatory broadcast, be examined to determine their knowledge of and participation in the conspiracy,” the petition added.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team insists this wasn’t an isolated act by one individual but a larger, well-coordinated operation aimed at silencing her.
“Shortly after the sexual harassment claim and suspension, our client observed a sudden surge of defamatory propaganda against her on social media and in certain press outlets.
“Evidence now shows that this was no organic backlash, but a coordinated smear campaign sponsored by Senator Akpabio as a form of revenge.”
The petition references the May 1 broadcast by Duru, where her phone screen showed names of high-profile contacts, including Akpabio, IGP Kayode, and Oby Ndukwe, the Senate President’s media aide.
“It is pertinent to highlight further evidence demonstrating the operational nexus between Senator Godswill Akpabio and Dr Sandra Duru.
“As inadvertently revealed during her live broadcast of 1st May 2025, Dr Duru’s call log displayed multiple contacts, including ‘My Daddy Directline,’ ‘IGP Kayode,’ ‘Senator Akpabio’ (with at least two saved numbers), ‘Oby Ndukwe’ (the media aide to the Senate President, who later appeared on Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye to publicly condemn our client), and ‘CP Imo Aboki Danjuma’ as well as ‘Senator Ned Nwoko.’”
The presence of these names, the petition argued, strengthens the claim that this was not a rogue effort but a plot involving political actors and security officials.
“Shortly after the broadcast, Mr Monday Ubani, SAN, a Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Akpabio and also his counsel on record before the Sexual Harassment petition hearing before the Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
“Mr Ubani, SAN, a known ally and associate of Senator Godswill Akpabio, publicly eulogised ‘Prof. Mgbeke,’ praising her courage and purported factual expositions.
“This endorsement came at a time when multiple stakeholders were condemning the broadcast as false, defamatory, and dangerous. Mr. Ubani’s eulogy, when viewed alongside the call log linking ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ to Senator Akpabio, suggests insider awareness and tacit approval from Akpabio’s inner circle.”
The most serious allegation in the petition involves a claim made by Duru that Akpoti-Uduaghan was involved in a plot to “remove the Yoruba government.”
“One of the most grievous and inflammatory claims made by ‘Prof. Mgbeke’ was the allegation that our client was part of a covert plan to ‘remove the Yoruba government’.
“This assertion, by its very nature, imputes that our client was involved in a plot against the executive arm of the Federal Government. Such an allegation, particularly when made in public and broadcast via computer networks, fulfils the threshold for conspiracy to commit a treasonable felony.
“It is not only defamatory but also a criminal falsehood that invites unlawful prosecution and public hostility.
“The deliberate use of ethnic framing, implying that our client was targeting an ethnic bloc in government was meant to incite national disaffection and trigger security backlash against her.”
The senator is urging the police to treat the matter with urgency, provide her with protection, and bring all those involved to justice, regardless of rank or political influence.