Immigration Impounds, Releases Senator Natasha’s Int.  Passport

By Ayodele Oni

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was on Thursday briefly declared “a security threat,” and had her International Passport impounded by the Nigerian immigration officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The incident unfolded as the Senator, accompanied by her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, was preparing to board a British Airways flight to London.

Eyewitness accounts confirmed that the Senator, who represents Kogi Central,  was flagged as a “national security risk” without prior notice or explanation.

She was reportedly calm during the ordeal, firmly stating that no court order existed to justify the confiscation of her passport.

“You have no right to hold my passport,” she told the officers.

After some delays and phone calls by her husband, Chief Uduaghan, the Senator’s  passport was eventually returned, and she boarded her flight.

The move has raised fresh questions about the possible politicization of state institutions and the use of security agencies for partisan objectives.

No statement has yet been released by either the Nigeria Immigration Service the Senate President’s office, or Akpoti-Uduaghan, intensifying public concern over transparency and rule of law.