Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has alleged that immigration officials at the airport stopped her from travelling abroad.
The lawmaker made the claim during a live broadcast on her Facebook page on Tuesday morning, accusing the officials of confiscating her passport without any legal grounds.
“Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she asked during the livestream.
According to the Kogi senator, the incident occurred shortly after she marked her second anniversary in office.
“Having completed my second-year celebration, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan recounted a previous incident where her passport was allegedly seized on the orders of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
“The last time this happened, the officer said Senator Akpabio instructed them to prevent me from travelling. He said each time I travel, I smear the country’s image through international interviews.
“This is wrong. There was no order. Yes, I know I have two federal government cases against me, of which the president of Nigeria instructed the AGF to cancel the cases, to withdraw the cases.
“This president actually spoke with Godswill Akpabio to terminate all the cases against me because he admitted, he agreed that they were politically witch-hunting cases. So there is no reason why my passport should be withheld at the international airport. There is no reason why,” she said.
At the time of this report, neither Senate President Godswill Akpabio nor the Nigerian Immigration Service had commented on the senator’s allegations.
‘No Right To Withhold Passport’
Visibly upset, the lawmaker threatened legal action against the officers involved, insisting, “You have no right to withhold my passport or deny me exit from my country. I have committed no offence, and this must stop.
“I think I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me. You can’t keep doing this every time.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan questioned why her passport was repeatedly seized despite complying with all her court obligations.
“You have no right. You are taking the law into your hands. There is no court order. I have not missed any of my court appearances. I have attended all my court sessions. I am not a flight risk. I am not a risk to my country. So why are you treating me like a criminal?” she said.
A few minutes later, one of the officers reportedly returned her passport.
“Can I have my passport, please? Thank you very much. Sometimes you just have to be a rebel to get things right. If I had not gone public, would you have given me my passport?” she asked.
In the background of the livestream, immigration officials could be heard apologising and trying to calm her down.
Her outburst comes amid ongoing legal and political battles involving her and prominent government officials.
In October, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation dismissed her claim that the charges against her were an abuse of court process, stating that they were based on “comprehensive and conclusive investigations.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently facing two separate cases of alleged criminal defamation and cybercrime before the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Mohammed Umar has adjourned the cybercrime trial to November 24. The senator was arraigned on a six-count charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Abubakar.
The Kogi lawmaker recently resumed plenary after a six-month suspension by the Senate for alleged misconduct — a decision that had drawn widespread criticism.
Her office, which had been sealed during the suspension, was reopened on September 23, allowing her to return fully to her legislative duties.