The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has reacted to allegations by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that her international passport was seized at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, describing the development as a “routine clearance procedure.”
The lawmaker had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of ordering NIS officers to seize her international passport at the airport.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that the action prevented her from travelling abroad.
In a viral video on Tuesday morning, the lawmaker was captured questioning immigration officials at the airport over the alleged confiscation of her passport.
“Having completed the celebration of my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport is being withheld again. I have committed no offence, and there is no order from the court to withhold my passport or deny me travel,” she said.
The senator further alleged that she was told her passport was seized because she “smeared the country’s image” during previous international engagements.
The dramatic encounter, streamed live on her Facebook page, showed the senator confronting airport officials and demanding her passport.
Moments later, a male officer was seen approaching her and handing back the document, bringing the altercation to an end.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since described the incident as a recurring harassment, promising to take legal action to stop what she termed “politically motivated intimidation.”
However, a senior immigration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that the lawmaker was not detained, contrary to widespread reports on social media.
“What happened at the airport was just a routine,” the officer said.
“From your question, she was not detained. Her passport might have been taken for a routine clearance.”
When contacted for clarification, the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) Akinsola Akinlabi, told journalists that he was not in Abuja at the time of the incident but would confirm the details.
“I am away from Abuja at the moment, but I’ll find out what transpired,” Akinlabi told Vanguard.
Naijaonpoint reports that the latest development comes just days after the senator marked her second year in office with a series of events attended by top lawmakers, including Senate President Akpabio.
It also follows a similar episode months earlier when she accused airport authorities of attempting to prevent her from travelling abroad.
While the NIS maintains that the latest encounter was part of routine travel clearance, the senator insists the repeated seizures of her passport amount to targeted harassment and abuse of power.
As of press time, the Nigeria Immigration Service has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the senator’s allegations.
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