By Obinna Uballa
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed allegations by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that its officers deliberately seized her international passport and prevented her from travelling abroad on Tuesday, describing the incident as a “routine security check.”
The New Diplomat had reported that Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, had in a viral video accused immigration personnel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, of unlawfully withholding her passport and restricting her movement without a court order.
In the video, the lawmaker claimed that her ordeal was politically motivated, alleging that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had instructed immigration officials to stop her from travelling each time she visited the airport.
“Fellow Nigerians, good morning. This is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Having completed the celebration of my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport is being withheld again,” she said in the clip.
“I have committed no offence, and there is no court order to withhold my passport or deny me travel. The last time this happened, the officer in charge told us that Senate President Godswill Akpabio instructed them to withhold my passport because he said each time I travel out of the country, I smear the country’s image by granting interviews to international media.”
However, reacting to the senator’s claims, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the episode was “a normal screening process that didn’t take long.”
“It was a routine check, and she has been allowed to travel,” Akinlabi explained to Punch Newspaper. “It’s a standard procedure applied to all travellers, and nothing unusual occurred. There was no order or instruction from anyone to stop her.”
When asked about the senator’s claim that the directive came from the Senate President, Akinlabi dismissed the allegation as baseless.
“Of course not. What concerns immigration matters with National Assembly politics?” he said.
He urged the public to avoid drawing political interpretations from standard airport procedures, adding that immigration officers routinely verify documents for security reasons before clearing passengers.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Senate President’s media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, were unsuccessful as calls and messages were not returned as of press time.
The confrontation marks the second time Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s travel has been delayed at the Abuja airport. She has repeatedly accused Akpabio of using state institutions to intimidate her since her election to the Senate.
Earlier this year, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate for six months after accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment and marginalising female lawmakers. She also clashed with him on the floor of the Senate over alleged bias in the allocation of constituency projects and appointments.
Although her suspension was lifted in September, she only returned to her office two weeks ago after a prolonged standoff and legal battle.
