The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has released the passport of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, following public outrage over what she described as an unlawful and politically motivated seizure of her travel documents at a Nigerian airport.
The lawmaker was reportedly stopped by immigration officers on Tuesday morning, who withheld her passport without providing any official explanation. Frustrated by the development, Akpoti-Uduaghan went live on social media to protest the incident, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of ordering the action.
“I have committed no offence and there is no order from the court to withhold my passport and deny me travelling. The last time this happened, the officer in charge told us that the Senate President, Godswin Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he said each time I travel out of the country, I spoil the country’s image by granting interviews out in international media,” she said.
“Please, can you tell them to release my passport and this embarrassment should stop? You have no right to withhold my passport. You have no right to deny me exit and entrance into my country. I have not committed any offence and this must stop. As a matter of fact, I think I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me. No, don’t tell me sorry. Can I please have my passport? You can’t keep doing this to me all the time,” she added.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who recently marked her second year in office, described the incident as part of a continuous pattern of harassment. She said her passport had previously been seized under similar circumstances and was only released after intervention from a powerful figure.
“I’ve been standing here for the past 20 minutes. Why are you doing this? What have I committed? The last time it had to take someone influential to call you to release my passport. That was what allowed me travel. Now again, you’re withholding my passport while I’m making calls. Is Godswin Akpabio so important? Why is he overruling boundaries? Godswin Akpabio, the Senate President, has instructed the Comptroller General of Customs to deny me exit, to withhold my passport. This is wrong,” she said.
She further explained that while she currently faces two federal government cases, President Bola Tinubu had already instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation to withdraw them after acknowledging that they were politically motivated.
“Yes, I know I have two federal government cases against me, of which the president of Nigeria instructed the AGF to cancel the cases, to withdraw the cases. This president, Bola Tinubu, actually spoke with Godwin Akpabio to terminate all the cases against me because he admitted, he agreed that they were politically witch-hunting cases. So there is no reason why my passport should be withheld at the international airport. There is no reason why. You have no right to do that, madam. You have no right. You are taking laws into your hands. There is no court order. I have not missed any of my court appearances. I have attended all my court sessions. I am not a flight risk. I am not a risk to my country. So why are you treating me like a criminal? Can I have my passport, please? Thank you very much. Sometimes I think you just have to be a rebel to get things right. Then you keep asking Nigerians to be good citizens,” she said.
Minutes after her live protest went viral and drew widespread reactions online, the Nigerian Immigration Service reportedly released her passport. Upon reclaiming it, she remarked, “If I had not gone public, would you have given me my passport?”
