The lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday, alerted Nigerians to alleged threats to her life, saying in the event of any attack on her and her supporters, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, should be held responsible.
She raised the alarm in a post on her official Facebook.
Natasha said, “My dear people of Kogi Central, I look forward to our peaceful Sallah celebrations today.
“However, should we be met with or infiltrated by violence, Nigerians should hold Gov Òdodo, Yahaya Bello & SP Godswill Akpabio wholly responsible.”
Natasha issued the alert a few hours after she vowed in a statement to go ahead with her scheduled visit to her constituency for the Eid-el-Fìtr break and the rally planned for her homecoming.
She also urged her supporters to disregard speculations making the round that she has cancelled her scheduled visit.
While stating that she has a statutory function in her capacity as the lawmaker representing her constituents, the embattled senator encouraged her supporters to troop out en masse to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr with her.
On Monday, the Kogi State Government banned rallies and public gatherings in the state over ‘security reports’.
The government also stopped fishing and other activities, arguing that they recently resulted in the loss of two lives in Kasemiya, Katubo and Umozu Ette, all in Kogi Local Government Area in Kogi West.
The Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo said the move was to prevent any form of security breach that might destabilise the state.
Similarly, the Kogi Police Command warned Akpoti-Uduagan to cancel her planned Sallah rally.
Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye stated that the planned gathering goes against the state government’s recent ban on political gatherings, which was announced on Monday.
Meanwhile, videos of the purported rally for the homecoming of the senator have started making the rounds on social media.
As of the time of filing this story, one of the Kogi senators named, Bashir Haroon, shared a live feed showing hundreds of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters, comprising mainly women singing and drumming in anticipation of her return.
