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By Oscar Okhifo
Embattled Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, was briefly detained by immigration officers on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to board a flight to the United Kingdom.
The senator, who was travelling with her husband to attend her stepson’s graduation, was reportedly flagged by immigration officials who claimed her name appeared on a travel watch list.
Sources close to the lawmaker said the officials informed her that she was considered a flight risk. However, there was no court order restricting her movement, and her legal representatives insisted she had never defaulted on any court appearance.
“This is clearly political harassment,” a member of her legal team who asked not to be named said. “There is no legal basis for detaining her. She has complied fully with all court processes and has never missed a sitting.”
The situation led to a standoff that lasted nearly an hour before she was eventually cleared following several calls to unamed top government officials.
Her passport was eventually stamped, and she was allowed to board her British Airways flight to the UK.
This incident comes amid escalating tensions between the Senator and the Senate leadership.
You’d recall that in March 2025, she was controversially suspended from the Senate following her protest during plenary and her allegation of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, an allegation Akpabio has strongly denied.
On July 4, a Federal High Court urged the Senate to consider her recall from suspension, describing it as “excessive” even as the Parliament has the right to discipline it’s deviant members.
Despite the court ruling, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was prevented from accessing the National Assembly complex on July 22. Security operatives barred her and her entourage. She had come to resume her legislative duties.
The latest development has drawn criticism from civil society groups and legal experts, who described the move as a violation of her rights and a threat to democratic institutions.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Senate’s spokesperson were unsuccessful as of press time.