NIS Removes Natasha From “No-Fly” List After Public Outcry

NIS Removes Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan From “No-Fly” List.
NIS reportedly acted on Senate President’s alleged directive.
Public outcry led to the reversal and restoration of her travel rights.

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has reportedly removed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s name from its controversial “No-Fly” list, days after public outrage over the alleged confiscation of her international passport at an airport.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that sources at both the airport immigration post and the NIS headquarters confirmed the development, revealing that the senator has now been cleared for international travel.

A senior officer at the NIS said the initial restriction was placed “because she always speaks badly about the Senate whenever she travels,” allegedly on the directive of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. The officer added, “It has now been confirmed that she has been cleared from the list after that video, which immigration complained portrayed their agency in a bad light.”

The controversy erupted earlier this month when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, posted a video showing her confrontation with immigration officers who allegedly seized her passport without any court order.

In the video, the visibly upset senator described the incident as a clear violation of her constitutional rights and an unlawful restriction of movement.

“Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said in the viral clip.

She recalled a similar incident in the past, claiming that she was once stopped from travelling under the same excuse. “The officer in charge told me that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by granting interviews to international media,” she stated.

The situation sparked widespread criticism from Nigerians on social media, with many demanding an investigation into the alleged abuse of power. Human rights groups also condemned the act, calling it an infringement on the senator’s freedom of movement. Immigration clears Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from “No-Fly” list. NIS reportedly acted on Senate President’s alleged directive. Public outcry led to the reversal and restoration of her travel rights.

As of Wednesday, NIS officials confirmed that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s travel rights have been fully restored and her name deleted from the “No-Fly” database.