Immigration Service Denies Seizing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Passport
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that its officers seized her passport and tried to stop her from travelling abroad on Tuesday. The Kogi Central lawmaker had earlier gone live on Facebook, accusing immigration officials at the airport of unlawfully withholding her passport. In the viral video, Natasha appeared frustrated as she questioned why she was being stopped from leaving the country despite no court order restricting her movement. “Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she asked during the livestream, insisting she had not defaulted on any court appearances and was not a flight risk. Moments later, she received her passport back, saying, “Sometimes you just have to be a rebel to get things right. If I hadn’t gone public, would you have given me my passport?” Reacting to the incident, NIS spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi denied the Senator’s claims, describing the situation as a routine airport procedure. “The distinguished senator was never stopped from travelling,” Akinlabi said. “She only went through standard immigration checks and was later cleared to travel. Temporarily holding a passport for verification does not amount to seizure.” He added that Senator Natasha had already boarded her flight by the time the video circulated online, clarifying that the officers were simply performing their statutory duties. “She has since travelled. The video was made while the checks were ongoing. The passport was never seized,” Akinlabi said.