The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has firmly denied allegations by the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, that its officers unlawfully withheld her passport at the airport.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview with newsmen, NIS spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi described the incident as a standard immigration procedure, dismissing claims of harassment or intentional obstruction.
“Officers did not seize the distinguished senator’s passport,” Akinlabi clarified. “She went through routine immigration checks and was cleared to travel.”
He explained that officers are authorised to temporarily take passengers’ passports for verification, a step often misunderstood as confiscation.
“The NIS officers were simply doing their statutory duty,” he said. “They may hold your passport to complete their checks, but that does not amount to seizure. The senator was allowed to travel once the process was concluded. Perhaps she assumed she was being barred because the checks took some time.”
Akinlabi noted that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan recorded her viral video during the verification process but did not update the public after she was cleared for departure.
“She has since travelled,” he said. “The video was made mid-process, not after. At no point was her passport seized.”
When asked whether the senator resisted handing over her passport for inspection, the spokesperson said he could not confirm the claim but reiterated that officers are empowered to collect and return passports as part of routine screening.
Earlier on Tuesday, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had taken to Facebook Live, accusing immigration officers of unlawfully withholding her passport and preventing her from travelling abroad.
“After my second-year anniversary activities, I decided to take a week off,” she said emotionally during the livestream. “My passport has been withheld again. Have I committed any offence? Why are you stopping me?”
She insisted there was no legal basis for the delay, referencing ongoing federal cases against her that she said were already slated for withdrawal.
Visibly frustrated, the senator accused officials of repeated harassment and vowed to take legal action.
“You cannot deny me exit from my own country,” she protested. “There is no court order. I have attended all my court sessions. I am not a flight risk. Why am I being treated like a criminal?”
Minutes later, one of the officers returned her passport. In the video, she questioned whether going public had forced the officers to act faster, while background voices of officials could be heard apologising and urging calm.
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