The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has refuted claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that her international passport was seized at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on the orders of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The senator, who represents Kogi Central, had in a video shared on social media on Tuesday morning accused immigration officers of unlawfully withholding her passport and preventing her from travelling abroad. She alleged that the incident was politically motivated and linked to her long-running feud with the Senate leadership.
“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 video.
“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.”
Turning to the immigration officers, she said: “You have no right to withhold my passport. You have no right to deny me entrance or exit into my country. I have not committed any offence, and this must stop.”
But reacting to the senator’s claims, the NIS spokesman, Akinsola Akinlabi, said there was no directive from any political figure to detain Akpoti-Uduaghan or restrict her movement. He described the episode as a “routine security process” that was quickly resolved.
“It was a routine check, and she has been allowed to travel. The exercise didn’t even take long,” Akinlabi told journalists.
When asked if the Senate President had given any instructions concerning the senator, he dismissed the allegation outright: “Of course not. What concerns immigration exercise with National Assembly matters?”
According to Akinlabi, the Service routinely screens passengers at all entry and exit points in line with standard security procedures, and there was nothing unusual about the process involving the lawmaker.
The incident, however, has reignited public debate about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s troubled relationship with the Senate leadership.
Earlier this year, she was suspended from the Senate for six months after accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment and discriminating against female lawmakers. She also accused him of running the upper chamber “with a dictatorial hand” and of sidelining opposition voices.
Her suspension was lifted in September, but she only regained access to her office two weeks ago after a long standoff and legal tussle. Since her return, the Kogi senator has resumed active participation in plenary sessions and recently sponsored amendments to the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill 2025.
The latest airport confrontation marks the second time her travel plans have been disrupted in similar circumstances.
While the Immigration Service insists the check was routine, supporters of the lawmaker have called for an investigation into what they describe as “a pattern of harassment.”
Efforts to reach Senate President Akpabio’s spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, for comments were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.
Although Akpoti-Uduaghan later confirmed that her passport was returned and she was allowed to proceed on her trip, the controversy has once again cast a spotlight on the alleged misuse of state institutions for political intimidation.
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