Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has alleged that her international passport was seized by airport officials on the reported orders of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
But the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has debunked claim that it withheld the passport on her way outside the country.
In a video shared on social media on Monday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said her travel document was withheld at an international airport, describing the incident as a repeat of a previous experience.
“My passport has been withheld again. The last time, I was told it was on the instruction of the Senate President who claimed I smeared the country’s image abroad. I have committed no offense, and there is no court order against me,” she stated.
The lawmaker, who appeared visibly upset in the video, said the incident amounted to harassment and an attempt to restrict her freedom of movement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan recalled that her passport had been previously seized under similar circumstances and released only after intervention from “a top-ranking official.” She said the repeated action represents what she considers “a pattern of political persecution.”
She further alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier directed the Attorney-General of the Federation to withdraw politically motivated cases filed against her.
“The president himself instructed that those cases be terminated because he admitted they were politically motivated. I have attended every court session. I am not a flight risk or a threat to national security — so why am I being treated like a criminal?” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan disclosed plans to take legal action against the agencies involved, describing the latest incident as “a blatant abuse of power.”
The development comes two days after she marked her second anniversary in office with a series of constituency projects in Kogi Central.
It will be recalled that Akpabio had, during last Thursday’s plenary, read Akpoti-Uduaghan’s letter inviting the Senate to her anniversary celebration — a procedural announcement which, according to her, was misinterpreted by some as a reconciliation move.
The senator maintained that the invitation was purely customary, in line with established National Assembly practice.
Officials of the Senate President’s office and airport authorities were yet to comment on the allegation as of press time.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for NIS, Akinsola Akinlabi, in his reaction during an interview on Channels Television, stated that the claim was inconsistent with what transpired.
Akinlabi explained that the incident was part of routine immigration procedures, clarifying that officers were only performing their statutory duties.
“NIS didn’t seize the distinguished senator’s passport, but rather she went through routine immigration checks and was allowed to travel. The NIS officers needed to conduct their checks. They may take your passport to do so, but that doesn’t mean it was seized as alleged. She has since been allowed to travel. Perhaps while waiting for the checks to be completed, she assumed she was being stopped from travelling,” Akinlabi said.
According to the NIS spokesperson, Natasha made her video during the routine process but did not post an update after being cleared to fly.
Natasha in a trending video had alleged that her international passport had been withheld, adding that she had been prevented from travelling.