Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has alleged that immigration officials at the airport prevented her from travelling abroad.

The lawmaker raised the alarm during a live broadcast on her Facebook page on Tuesday morning, accusing officials of withholding her passport without legal justification.

“Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she said to the officials during the livestream.

The Kogi senator explained that the incident occurred shortly after marking her second year 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.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan recalled a similar incident in which her passport was allegedly seized on the instruction 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 filing this report, neither Senate President Godswill Akpabio nor the Nigerian Immigration Service had responded to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations.

‘No Right To Withhold Passport’

Visibly upset, the senator further threatened legal action against the officials, stating, “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.”

The Kogi senator questioned why her passport was repeatedly seized despite attending all court sessions related to her pending cases.

“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.

Minutes after the confrontation, one of the officers eventually 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?” the senator asked.

Immigration officials could be heard apologising in the background and attempting to calm her down during the livestream.

Her outburst comes amid ongoing legal and political battles involving her and top government figures.

In October, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation faulted her claim that the charges against her amounted to an abuse of court process.

The AGF’s office maintained that the charges were based on “comprehensive and conclusive investigations.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan is currently facing separate cases of alleged criminal defamation and cybercrime before the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Mohammed Umar has adjourned the cybercrime trial to 24 November. The senator was arraigned on a six-count charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Abubakar.

The Kogi lawmaker recently returned to plenary after a six-month suspension imposed by the Senate for alleged misconduct, a decision that drew public criticism.

Her office, which was sealed during the suspension, was reopened on 23 September, paving the way for her full return to legislative duties. (CHANNELS)