Breaking: Natasha Akpoti, Akpabio in Fresh Battle as Security Stops Her From Traveling, Video Trends
- Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio ordered the seizure of her passport to stop her from travelling
- She claimed security officials withheld her passport at the airport without a court order, insisting she had committed no offence and was not a flight risk
- The senator vowed legal action after her passport was eventually released, questioning why it was only returned after she went public with the incident
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of orchestrating efforts to prevent her from leaving Nigeria after operatives at an airport reportedly seized her passport on Monday.
A video posted online shows the senator questioning security officials who, she alleges, withheld her travel documents without a court order.
Source: Facebook
Security stops senator at airport
In the video shared via Facebook, Senator Akpoti voices her frustration as she stands at an airport counter, claiming she has been barred from travelling despite having no criminal restrictions.
“I have committed no offence, and there is no order from the court to withhold my passport and deny me travelling. The same thing happened last time. My passport was seized. I have not committed any offence and this must stop," she said.
She added that she had been held at the checkpoint for more than 20 minutes, insisting that the action was unlawful.
“You have no right to withhold my passport. You have no right to deny me exit and entrance into my country. I have not committed any offence. Why are you doing this? What have I committed?" she asked the officials.
Allegation against Akpabio
The senator directly accused Senate President Akpabio of giving instructions to stop her from travelling, alleging that the order was based on claims she damages the country's image abroad.
“The first officer in charge told us that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he said each time I travel out of the country, I smear the country’s image,” she claimed.
“This president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, actually spoke with Godswill Akpabio to terminate all the cases against me because he admitted they were politically witch-hunting cases,” she added.
Claims of political targeting
Source: Facebook
Senator Akpoti insisted she is not a flight risk and has attended all court sessions related to her pending cases, which she says were previously directed to be withdrawn.
“I have two federal government cases against me, of which the President instructed the Attorney-General to withdraw. There is no reason why my passport should be withheld at an international airport. I have not missed any of my court appearances. I am not a flight risk," she said.
The senator vowed to take legal action over what she described as repeated harassment.
“I think I have to sue you for continuously embarrassing me. Sometimes I think 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 asked.
Passport later released
Toward the end of the video, the Immigration officials appeared to return her passport, a move she questioned as being influenced by her decision to record the incident.
“If I had not gone public, would you have released my passport?” she asked. “Why are you recording my passport?”
Natasha invites Akpabio
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan extended an official invitation to the Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, for the commissioning of a project in Kogi Central, her senatorial district.
In the invitation, which was personally signed by the Kogi Central senator, Natasha included other senators in the invite. It was read by Akpabio during plenary on Thursday, October 30. The invitation appeared to have eased the tension between the Senate president and Natasha.
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Source: Legit.ng
