Nigeria: Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan raises alarm over attack on family home

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has raised the alarm over an attack by suspected gunmen on her family home in Kogi State. The attack occurred on Tuesday, during a visit by her younger brother, who was in town with contractors to inspect a constituency project site in her hometown of Obeiba-Ihima.

In a statement released by her media office, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that the assailants likely believed she was present at the location and targeted the house with that assumption. However, the attack was repelled by security personnel, and no one was hurt. “Two days ago, my younger brother took some contractors to my hometown in Ihima to inspect locations for upcoming projects I attracted to my senatorial district. The unknown gunmen assumed I was in town and attacked my family’s house that night,” she said.

Akpoti-Uduaghan has called on the Inspector-General of Police to reinstate her withdrawn security aides. She urged the public to remain calm and support efforts to ensure justice, stressing that her commitment to serving her constituents should not be met with violence or intimidation.

The senator’s security details were withdrawn on March 6 following a suspension over a heated dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding a new seating arrangement, which she claimed was deliberately meant to undermine her. Tensions escalated after the senator publicly accused Akpabio, during a national television appearance, of punishing her for rejecting his alleged sexual advances.

The senator has since decried what she describes as harsh punitive measures, including the withdrawal of security, salary cuts, and a six-month suspension from the National Assembly. However, the Nigerian Senate defended its actions before the Inter-Parliamentary Union, insisting her suspension had no connection to the sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio. In a further twist, Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senate President Akpabio, and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello have all filed petitions with the police, accusing one another of involvement in an alleged assassination plot.

The attack on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s family home has raised concerns about her safety and security. The senator’s call for the reinstatement of her security details highlights the need for adequate protection for public officials, particularly in the face of intense political rivalries and disputes. The outcome of the police investigation into the attack and the petitions filed by the parties involved will be closely watched.