Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Alleges Passport Seizure by Immigration Officers on Akpabio’s Orders

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) has accused Nigerian Immigration officials of seizing her passport at the airport, allegedly acting on the instructions of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The senator, who recently marked her second anniversary in office by commissioning constituency projects in Kogi Central, went live on social media as she confronted officers over the confiscation. In the video, she expressed frustration, claiming this was not the first time her travel documents had been withheld without legal justification. “Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. After completing my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport has been withheld again” she said.

According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, the same incident had occurred previously but was resolved after intervention from what she described as a “higher authority.” She alleged that the officers informed her that the directive came directly from the Senate Pre sident.“The officer in charge told me that Senator Godswill Akpabio ordered them to withhold my passport and stop me from travelling because he believes that whenever I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by speaking to international media” she said.

The lawmaker condemned the action as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a clear violation of her constitutional rights. She further claimed that President Bola Tinubu had earlier instructed the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all Federal Government cases filed against her, yet the harassment persists.

Following the public outcry, immigration officials later released her passport.

This latest controversy comes months after Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate in March 2025, following a dispute with Akpabio over seat reallocation. The suspension lasted six months before she was reinstated on September 24, 2025.

The senator maintained that she had committed no offence warranting such treatment and vowed to seek legal redress if the violation continues.