Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of directing officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to seize her international passport and stop her from traveling abroad.
The Kogi Central lawmaker raised the alarm on Tuesday in a live Facebook video, where she was seen confronting Immigration officials at an airport counter.
“Have I committed any offense? Why are you withholding my passport?” Natasha asked angrily in the video, demanding an explanation from the officers who allegedly refused to allow her to board her flight.
The Senator explained that she was scheduled to travel for a short break after marking her second year in office. She maintained that she had “committed no offense” and that no court order exists restricting her from leaving the country.
Natasha further alleged that this was not the first time her travel documents had been seized on the orders of the Senate President.
“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,” she claimed.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigerian Immigration Service nor the Office of the Senate President had issued any official response to the allegation.
Political analysts say the incident could escalate tensions within the Senate, where Akpoti-Uduaghan has often clashed with leadership over alleged intimidation and corruption issues.
Calls for clarification from both the NIS and Akpabio’s office have intensified, with civil society groups urging transparency and respect for lawmakers’ fundamental rights.