Dr Sandra Chidinma Duru, a Nigerian-American professor and president of the organisation TUFF, has dismissed reports suggesting that her criminal petitions against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan were withdrawn or merged with other cases, describing such claims as false and lacking legal authority.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Duru said she was contacted by an online blogger seeking her reaction to a publication, which she later identified as a controversial article authored by Hamza Lamisi, a legislative aide to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. According to her, the article falsely attributed defamatory remarks to the Senate President and the Head of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit.
Duru stressed that any purported retraction or disclaimer circulating in relation to the matter did not emanate from the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Department or the Force Public Relations Officer, which she described as the only lawful channel for official police communication. She said narratives outside that framework lack institutional legitimacy.
She further maintained that no authority within the Nigeria Police Force has the legal power to consolidate, withdraw, or otherwise interfere with her personal criminal complaints without her knowledge or consent. Duru said her petitions were filed independently and remain separate from any other related proceedings, noting that while she may be a witness in other matters, her own case is unresolved and autonomous.
Describing herself as an independent complainant, Duru argued that allegations bordering on human organ harvesting and murder are grave criminal offences, not matters of defamation. She said such allegations raise serious concerns under Nigerian and international law and warrant thorough investigation and prosecution.
Duru also denied withdrawing any complaint against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisting she has never done so and has no intention of doing so. She referenced public statements allegedly made by the senator acknowledging that complaints against her had not been withdrawn, adding that cases struck out by a court can, under the law, be reopened and reinvestigated.
Questioning references attributed to CP Akin Fakorede in the disputed publication, Duru asked the Nigeria Police to formally produce and serve her with an investigation report detailing the status and outcome of her petition, particularly allegations relating to human organ harvesting. She said she was never notified of any merger or conclusion of her complaint and that her evidence remains on record awaiting due process.
Duru further alleged that she was globally defamed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and others, who she said falsely claimed that audio evidence attributed to the senator was manipulated using artificial intelligence. She said police forensic reports and independent analyses by United States-based experts concluded that the voice recording was authentic. Despite this, she alleged that those responsible have not been prosecuted.
Reiterating that she has no alliance or arrangement with the Senate President, Duru said she independently approached the police over allegations that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the Senate President and his wife of involvement in the alleged murder and organ harvesting of a woman identified as Miss Umoren. She described the allegation as one of national and international significance that must be conclusively resolved.
“The Nigerian people and the global community deserve to know whether such a crime occurred,” Duru said, adding that if the allegation is false, the accuser should be prosecuted, and if true, those responsible should be brought to justice without political interference.
She accused CP Fakorede of actions she claimed appeared designed to shield the senator from prosecution and insisted that a fully investigated matter cannot be quietly terminated without due legal process.
Duru called for the prosecution of her petition to its lawful conclusion and demanded an investigation into Hamza Lamisi and others over alleged criminal defamation and dissemination of false information. She described the matter as a test of the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system and urged authorities to demonstrate transparency and accountability.
