Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has disclosed that her passport was seized by personnel of the Nigerian Immigration Service at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The senator representing Kogi Central raised the alarm on her Instagram page on Tuesday, November 4.

She stated that there was no court order instructing the seizure of her passport, stressing that the move was a ploy to prevent her from travelling outside Nigeria.

In excerpts from a video she shared, she said: “Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a trip abroad. I am here at the airport, and my passport is being withheld again. My passport has been seized. I have committed no offence, and there is no order from any court to withhold my passport or deny me the right to travel.

“The last time this happened, the officer in charge told us that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I travel outside the country, I smear the country’s image.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who recently resumed duties following a suspension, revealed that fear of political persecution prevented many of her colleagues from openly showing support during her six-month suspension from the Senate.

Speaking on Sunday in Okene, Kogi State, at the inauguration of a new market, Natasha explained that while several senators reached out privately, they refrained from public solidarity due to concerns over possible political repercussions.

“When a government official faces challenges, isolation comes naturally,” she said.

“Even when people are sympathetic, they are afraid to associate with you openly for fear of being castigated or persecuted.

“Many senators stood by me quietly — they called, they visited — but in public, they couldn’t show it. I’m not offended by that.”