Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has alleged that officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) prevented her from travelling abroad, withholding her passport without lawful justification.

The senator made the claim during a live broadcast on her Facebook page on Tuesday morning, confronting the officials on camera.

“Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she was heard saying during the livestream.

Akpoti-Uduaghan said the incident occurred shortly after she marked her second year in office.

“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,” she lamented.

The senator recalled a previous incident in which her passport was allegedly seized on the orders of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

“The last time this happened, the officer said Senator Akpabio instructed them to prevent me from travelling. He said each time I travel, I smear the country’s image through international interviews,” she alleged.

“This is wrong. There was no order. Yes, I know I have two federal government cases against me, but the President of Nigeria instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to withdraw those cases, admitting they were politically motivated. So there is no reason why my passport should be withheld,” she stated.

At the time of filing this report, neither the Senate President nor the NIS had responded to the allegations.

Visibly angered, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan threatened legal action, declaring: “You have no right to withhold my passport or deny me exit from my country. I have committed no offence, and this must stop. I think I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me. You can’t keep doing this every time.”

She further questioned why her passport was repeatedly seized despite complying with all court requirements.

“You are taking the law into your hands. There is no court order restricting my movement. I have attended all my court sessions. I am not a flight risk. So why are you treating me like a criminal?” she asked.

Minutes later, one of the officers returned her passport.

“Can I have my passport, please? Thank you very much. Sometimes you just have to be a rebel to get things right. If I had not gone public, would you have given me my passport?” she said as immigration officials were heard apologising in the background.

Her outburst comes amid ongoing legal and political disputes involving her and prominent government figures.

In October, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation dismissed her claim that the charges against her amounted to an abuse of court process, insisting they were based on “comprehensive and conclusive investigations.”

The senator currently faces two separate cases—one for criminal defamation and another for cybercrime—before the FCT High Court and the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Mohammed Umar has adjourned the cybercrime case until 24 November. The six-count charge was filed by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan recently returned to plenary after serving a six-month suspension imposed by the Senate for alleged misconduct—a decision that drew widespread criticism.

Her office, sealed during her suspension, was reopened on 23 September, allowing her to resume full legislative duties.