Natasha accuses Akpabio of influencing  alleged immigration’s seizure of her passport

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of ordering immigration officials to seize her passport, preventing her from traveling abroad.

The Kogi Central lawmaker, in a viral video on Tuesday, claimed this was not the first time Akpabio had targeted her, alleging he did so because she “spoils the image of the country” with her international media appearances.

She described the action as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a gross violation of her fundamental rights.

She said, “Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again.

“This same thing happened before when I was stopped from travelling even though I had committed no offence, and there was no court order restricting me. The officer in charge told me that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by granting interviews to international media.”

She vowed to take legal action against the Nigerian Immigration Service.

But the Public Relations Officer of NIS, Mr. Akinsola Akinlabi dismissed the Senator’s claim, describing the episode as a ‘routine check’.

‘It is a routine check, and she has been allowed to travel. It was an exercise that didn’t even take long’, Akinlabi said.

Asked whether there was a directive from the Senate President, the NIS spokesperson expressed surprise.

‘Of course, not. What concerns immigration service with National Assembly matters’? he queried.