Falana to DSS, NIA: Drop Probe into Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s IPU Trip

Falana to DSS, NIA: Drop Probe into Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s IPU Trip

Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has cautioned security agencies against investigating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her attendance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York………..READ MORE

Falana warned that the probe by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) could end up embarrassing key officials in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The controversy stems from the fact that Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the IPU meeting despite being suspended from the Nigerian Senate. Senate President Godswill Akpabio accused her of embarrassing Nigeria by bringing up her suspension at the international gathering. However, the senator insists that her suspension was retaliation for accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment.

In a statement on Sunday, Falana dismissed the probe as a politically motivated effort that could expose Nigeria to “needless embarrassment and undeserved ridicule.”

“Contrary to the jaundiced views of the Senate leadership, it is the official probe of the circumstances of her trip by security forces that will expose Nigeria to needless embarrassment,” Falana said.

He further warned that history has shown such investigations to be counterproductive, drawing parallels to the late military ruler General Sani Abacha’s era, when government critics were targeted for foreign trips.

Falana urged the DSS and NIA to focus on more pressing national security issues instead of politically motivated investigations. He also pointed out that some key officials in Tinubu’s government had once traveled abroad to criticize military regimes—a move similar to what Akpoti-Uduaghan did at the IPU.

This development adds to the ongoing political tension surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension and raises concerns about the use of state security agencies for political purposes.