Nigeria, June 16 -- A judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected a prosecutor's request to issue an arrest warrant for suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her absence at her scheduled arraignment on criminal defamation charges.

Trial judge M.G. Umar ruled that the prosecutor's application lacked merit, noting that the defendant had only been served with the charges just before proceedings started.

On 16 May, the Nigerian government charged the senator with criminal defamation, following her claim on Channels Television accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of plotting to assassinate her.

The Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPP...