Airport Drama: Real reason Sen.Natasha Akpoti’s passport was temporarily seized – NIS

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed claims by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that its officers attempted to prevent her from travelling abroad.

The lawmaker representing Kogi Central had earlier gone live on Facebook on Tuesday morning, alleging that immigration officials at the airport withheld her passport without any reason.

“Having completed my second-year celebration, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport, and my passport has been withheld again. Have I committed any offence? Why are you withholding my passport?” she lamented during the viral livestream.

The visibly upset senator accused the officers of harassment and threatened to take legal action, insisting there was no court order restricting her from travelling. “You can’t keep doing this every time. You are taking the law into your hands. There is no court order. I have not missed any court appearances. I am not a flight risk. So why are you treating me like a criminal?” she said.

Moments later, one of the officers returned her passport as she continued filming. “Sometimes you just have to be a rebel to get things right,” she remarked while thanking the officers.

However, reacting swiftly, the NIS Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, denied that the senator’s passport was ever seized. “NIS didn’t seize the distinguished senator’s passport,” Akinlabi told Channels Television. “She only went through routine immigration checks and was allowed to travel.”

He explained that officers merely carried out standard verification procedures, which sometimes require temporarily taking a traveller’s passport. “The passport was never confiscated. Perhaps while waiting for the checks to be completed, she assumed she was being stopped from travelling,” he said, adding that the senator had since departed the country.

Akinlabi further stated that he could not confirm whether the senator initially resisted handing over her passport but emphasized that the immigration officers acted within their lawful duties. “She has travelled since then. The video was made while she was going through checks, not after. There was no attempt to stop her,” he clarified.

The incident has generated wide discussions online, with many Nigerians urging better communication between security officials and VIPs to prevent such misunderstandings in the future.