Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has strongly cautioned security agencies against investigating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her attendance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York.
He warned that such an inquiry could ultimately embarrass key officials in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Falana’s statement follows reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) have launched an investigation into how the Kogi senator attended the IPU meeting without an official nomination.
The controversy was due to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent suspension from the Nigerian Senate, which she disclosed during the international gathering.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio accused her of embarrassing the government by raising the issue at the IPU.
However, the senator maintains that her suspension was in retaliation for accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment.
In a statement on Sunday, Falana dismissed the probe as a misguided effort that could subject 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 stated.
He further noted that similar incidents had occurred in the past, drawing parallels to the actions of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha.
He advised the DSS and NIA to review historical cases of travel restrictions before embarking on what he called a “futile attempt” to investigate Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“In fact, the probe will particularly embarrass some top officials of the Bola Tinubu administration who were once accused of traveling abroad to criticize the military junta,” he added.
Falana called on security agencies to redirect their focus to more pressing national security issues rather than pursuing politically motivated investigations.