Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of ordering the seizure of her international passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The incident occurred on Tuesday when Akpoti-Uduaghan was scheduled to travel abroad.
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, this is the second time her passport has been seized, with immigration officers citing instructions from Akpabio as the reason. “Senate President Godswill Akpabio instructed the Comptroller General to seize my passport, preventing me from travelling,” she stated in a video.
The senator expressed frustration, noting that she has committed no offense and there is no court order restricting her travel. “I have completed my second year in office and decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio claimed she embarrasses the nation whenever she travels and grants interviews to international media. “The last time this happened, the officer in charge told me that the Senate President… 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,” she stated.
The Nigerian Immigration Service has since released Akpoti-Uduaghan’s passport, but no official statement has been made regarding the incident. Akpabio’s office has also not commented on the matter.
