Deborah Akinyosoye
Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Thursday, raised the alarm over an attack by suspected gunmen on her family home in Kogi State.
She called on the Inspector-General of Police to reinstate her withdrawn security aides.
In a statement released by her media office, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the attack occurred 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.
According to her, the assailants likely believed she was present at the location and targeted the house with that assumption.
The incident, which took place on Tuesday, resulted in the vandalism of the residence, which the senator stated originally belonged to her grandfather.
However, the attack was repelled by security personnel, she said.
“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.
“Thankfully, the civil defence team and community members responded promptly and chased them off. A report has been filed at the police area command, and fortunately, no one was hurt. We urge the Inspector-General of Police to immediately reinstate my security details,” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan 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.
Her security details were withdrawn on March 6 following a suspension over a heated dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding a new seating arrangement, which she claimed was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.
She later took her case to a United Nations forum, accusing Akpabio of political victimization.
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.
Supporting the Senate’s stance, Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Kafilat Ogbara, stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for gross misconduct and repeated violations of legislative rules — including refusing to sit in her designated seat, speaking out of turn, and displaying unruly behaviour.
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 senator claimed that both Akpabio and Bello were plotting to kill her, a claim both men strongly denied, in turn petitioning the police to arrest and prosecute her for defamation.