Senator Natasha Removed from No-Fly List Following Immigration Review

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has removed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s name from the “No-Fly” list, which was reportedly placed there at the request of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Sources at both the airport immigration station and NIS headquarters confirmed the development  on Wednesday. According to the source, Akpabio had requested the restriction because the senator allegedly made negative statements about the Senate whenever she traveled abroad.

The decision to clear Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from the travel restriction list followed a confrontation at the airport where she questioned immigration officials over the alleged confiscation of her passport. In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the senator described the incident as an unlawful restriction on her movement and a violation of her fundamental rights. She claimed that immigration officers withheld her passport on Akpabio’s instruction, accusing her of “spoiling the image of the country” through interviews with international media.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed frustration at what she described as repeated harassment and intimidation, calling for authorities to intervene and put an end to the “embarrassment.” This incident follows a petition she submitted to the Inspector-General of Police in May, alleging that Akpabio orchestrated a campaign to discredit her and silence her sexual harassment allegations. Her petition, supported by evidence from media reports, witness accounts, and expert analyses, claimed that a coordinated online smear campaign and personal attacks were launched after she publicly accused the Senate President of sexual harassment in February 2025.

The senator also revealed that a previously unknown online persona, “Professor Mgbeke,” was part of the campaign against her. Investigations later identified the individual behind the persona as Dr. Sandra Chidinma Duru, a Nigerian resident in Texas. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described the campaign as a deliberate effort to undermine her safety, reputation, and political career, framing it as a “malicious and coordinated character assassination.”

With her name now removed from the No-Fly list, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is free to travel abroad without further interference from immigration authorities.