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‘We Never Seized Her Passport’ — Immigration Denies Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Allegation
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has denied claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that its officers seized her international passport and attempted to stop her from travelling abroad on Tuesday.
The Kogi Central senator had earlier gone live on Facebook, alleging that immigration officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, withheld her passport without legal justification. In the video, a visibly upset Natasha claimed she was being unlawfully prevented from leaving the country despite having no court order restricting her movement.
“Having completed my second-year celebration, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport has been withheld again. Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she queried during the livestream.
She further stated that although she had two federal cases pending, President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation to withdraw them, insisting she had not violated any legal condition.
“You have no right to withhold my passport or deny me exit from my country. I have committed no offence, and this must stop,” she continued. “You can’t keep doing this every time. There is no court order. I have not missed any of my court appearances. I am not a flight risk.”
Moments later, one of the officers returned her passport. In the footage, Natasha could be heard saying, “Can I have my passport, please? Thank you very much. Sometimes you just have to be a rebel to get things right.”
NIS Responds: ‘It Was Routine Procedure’
Reacting to the allegation, the NIS spokesperson, Akinsola Akinlabi, denied that any seizure occurred, describing the incident as a “routine immigration procedure.”
“NIS didn’t seize the distinguished senator’s passport; she went through routine immigration checks and was allowed to travel,” Akinlabi told Channels Television on Tuesday.
He explained that temporarily holding a traveller’s passport for verification does not amount to confiscation.
“The officers needed to conduct their checks. They may take your passport to do so, but that doesn’t mean it was seized as alleged. She has since been allowed to travel,” he said.
Akinlabi added that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had already boarded her flight by the time the video began circulating online.
“The video was made while she was going through the checks, not after. The passport was never seized,” he clarified.
When asked whether the senator resisted handing over her passport, the spokesperson declined to confirm.
“I don’t know about that,” he said. “But officers conducting such checks are authorised to collect passports for verification and must return them once done which they did.”
