Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has claimed that there are plans to arrest her upon her return to Nigeria.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday from the United States, where she attended the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan stated, “I’m aware there are plans underway to have me arrested as soon as I arrive Abuja.

The Senate President Akpabio sent three staff headed by the Chargè D’Affairs of the Nigerian embassy in New York to evacuate me from the United Nations premises right after my speech. I was rescued by parliamentarians from other countries and the security,” she said.

Attempts to reach Senate President Godswill Akpabio for comments were unsuccessful, as his spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, had yet to respond to multiple calls.

Addressing how she attended the IPU meeting despite not being officially nominated by the Nigerian government, Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that she secured her accreditation independently. She said she registered online as a senator and was able to attend because she was already on the IPU’s mailing list as a past participant.

“I registered online as a senator. The suspension does not remove my legitimacy as a senator. I registered online and got a pass. I attended the same programme last year and was already on the mailing list. After I got a pass, I bought my own ticket and funded my trip and participation at the event,” she said

She further revealed that this was not her first time at an IPU event. In March 2024, she was part of Nigeria’s official delegation to the 148th IPU General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside Senate President Akpabio, Cross River South Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

Akpoti-Uduaghan clarified that her participation in the latest IPU event was facilitated through her previous attendance at a meeting organized by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). She also noted that IPU events are not restricted to government officials but are open to individuals and civil society organizations.

She emphasized that she traveled to New York using a visa on her ordinary Nigerian passport rather than an official passport.

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The Kano State Joint Task Force Committee on Peace Restoration and Youth Rehabilitation under the leadership of Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata, conducted mass operations in Yakasai, Kofar Mata, Zango, Zage, Zanzado, Rimi Market, Shahuchi Park, Kano Line, Sharada, Ja’en, Dan Agundi and neighboring areas.
The Committee PRO, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, the Hon. Commissioner of the Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs, in a statement on Saturday, said between the 13th and 14th of March, 2025, intelligence-led operations which were conducted at the criminal hideout and black spots resulted in the arrest of fifty-three (53) suspected thugs, drug dealers and recovered three (3) Parcels,
Fifty (50) wraps and other large quantity of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa (Wiwi), two (2) Codeine syrup, two (2) tubes of rubber solution, one (1) gallon of suck and die, one hundred and five (105) pieces of suspected exol tablets, five (5) cutlasses, and two (2) scissors.
Others are two (2) clubs (Gora) and a bulk of suspected charms.
According to the statement, during the operations, the Task Force recovered substantial quantities of cannabis sativa at some notorious drug joint in Zanzado, where a larger quantity of the substance was found.
Additionally, a delivery vehicle and five (5) cattle suspected to belong to an infamous drug dealer, were also seized at this location.
The statement further stated that all the suspects arrested would be charged in court upon completion of the investigation.
The success recorded in the two-day operations indicates a significant step in the ongoing efforts to combat thuggery and substance abuse in Kano State.
“The composition of the committee which brought together combined security agencies and Government functionaries is dedicated to sanitizing the streets of Kano and restoring peace to the communities.
“The Kano State Joint Task Force Committee remains steadfast and resolute in its mission to create a safer, drug-free and peaceful environment for the benefit of all the inhabitants in the State,” the statement added.

The Kano State Government has condemned what it describes as “gross misrepresentations” surrounding the recent Court of Appeal ruling on the ongoing emirship dispute, urging the public to remain law-abiding while the case progresses to the Supreme Court.

In a joint press statement issued by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, and the Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya, the state government clarified that the appellate court’s ruling did not invalidate its previous decision to repeal the Kano Emirate Council Law of 2019.

“It has become necessary to once again address you and the general public to correct the speculative reports emanating from some quarters, apparently intended to create disharmony among the citizens of Kano,” the statement read.

The government recalled that on January 10, 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the repeal of the controversial 2019 law, which led to the reversion of the emirship structure to its previous status. However, it noted that Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan’Agundi, who is challenging the repeal, had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and secured a stay of execution.

“The respected panel of justices heard and granted the application for a stay pending the hearing and determination of the appeal before the Supreme Court. This is a normal and routine judicial procedure to maintain the status quo,” the statement explained.

The Kano government expressed concern over what it termed misleading headlines and reports suggesting that the Court of Appeal had overturned its own ruling.

“It is worrisome seeing various captions and headlines deliberately intended to mislead the public by misrepresenting the facts. The judiciary, as a sacred institution, must be jealously respected and guarded for the preservation of peace and order in society,” the government asserted.

The officials further clarified that the Court of Appeal had not reversed its January 10 ruling but had only granted a temporary stay of execution pending the Supreme Court’s final decision.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Court of Appeal that entertained the application of Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan’Agundi did not set aside its own judgment delivered on January 10, 2025. That judgment remains valid and subsisting until the Supreme Court determines the appeal,” the statement emphasized.

The government urged Kano residents to disregard any provocations and continue to uphold peace, assuring them that legal experts were reviewing the court’s ruling to determine the state’s next course of action.

“We call on the general public to resist any provocation and continue to be law-abiding. The Kano State Government has already instructed its lawyers to closely study the outcome to determine the next line of action in accordance with our extant laws,” the statement concluded.

The ongoing legal battle over the emirship structure in Kano has sparked significant political and public interest, with both supporters and opponents closely watching the case as it progresses to the Supreme Court.