The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has denied allegations that its officials withheld the passport of a senator representing Kogi central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja in the early hours of Tuesday, November 4.
The Senator alleged that her passport was seized by immigration officers on the orders of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Natasha said she was prevented from boarding her flight despite having committed no offence or receiving any court order restricting her movement.
The spokesperson of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Akinsola Akinlabi, described the incident as a routine immigration procedure.
He further stated that the lawmaker was passing through the standard verification processes like other passengers, and was later cleared to travel.
“NIS didn’t seize the distinguished senator’s passport, but rather she went through routine immigration checks and was allowed to travel,” Akinlabi said.
Immigration officers needed to conduct their checks. They may take your passport to do so, but that doesn’t mean it was seized as alleged.
“She has since been allowed to travel. Perhaps while waiting for the checks to be completed, she assumed she was being stopped from travelling.”
“She has travelled since then. The video was made while she was going through the checks, not after. The passport was never seized.”
When asked if the senator resisted handing over her passport for inspection, Akinlabi said he could not confirm that.
“I don’t know about that,” he replied. “But the officers conducting the checks are authorised to collect passports for verification and must return them once done, which they did.”
