The Nigeria immigration Service (NIS) Tuesday seized and later released the international passport of Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan who was travelling out of the country as she said for a “one-week break”.
This created a drama at the airport as the Kogi senator took to live social media broadcast to report the Immigration officials whom she accused of over-reaching themselves as they had no warrant to seize her passport.
She accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of being the mastermind of her ordeal including ordering seizure of her travel document.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan berated the Immigration officials in her live video forcing the operatives of NIS to return her passport to her.
She said there was no basis for the action of Immigration officials as she had never jumped bail, neither had she declined any court appearance.
Political Economist NG recalls that the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja had on October 21st shifted the trial of Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on alleged cybercrime to Nov. 24.
Justice Mohammed Umar, who fixed that day for the commencement of trial, was not in court due to the protest organised by Mr Omoyele Sowore to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Justice Umar ‘s court, at the third floor of the high-rise building, was under lock and key on that Monday as court activities were crippled.
The matter was, however, fixed for Nov. 24 when activities at the court resumed on Tuesday.
The judge had, on Sept. 22, fixed October 21 for the hearing after the trial was stalled owing to an objection raised by the defendant.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned on June 30 on a six-count charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar.
She was granted bail, following which Justice Umar adjourned till Sept. 22 for the commencement of trial.
However on the last adjourned date when the prosecuting lawyer, David Kaswe, was about to open his case by calling the 1st witness, the defence lawyer raised an objection.
The development was after a television screen had been mounted in the courtroom preparatory to the commencement of proceedings.
The defence lawyer, Ehiogie West-Idahosa, SAN, had expressed concern about the possibility of the prosecution opening its case.
West-Idahosa told the court that a notice of preliminary objection to challenge the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case had already been filed.
He said the objection is not to the nature of the charge, but the alleged abuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer also complained about not being served with copies of the statements of the prosecution witnesses.
Although Kaswe argued that the objection filed by the defendant should not be allowed to stall the court’s business for the day, Justice Umar insisted that the prosecution must first respond to the objection.
The judge said he intended to first determine the objection raised by the defence before taking any further steps in the case.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025, is alleged to have transmitted false and injurious information via electronic means with the intention to malign, incite and endanger lives and breach public order.
The senator was alleged to have, while addressing a gathering on April 4 in Ihima, Kogi State, accused the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, of instructing ex-Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi to have her killed in the state.
She was also alleged to have, in a television interview, repeated similar claims, to the effect that the Senate president and former governor plotted to kill her in Kogi.
The charge is brought under the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, etc (Amendment) Act 2024.
