- Safiu Kehinde
Kogi lawmaker, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was on Tuesday sidelined by her colleagues at the Red Chamber as Senators declined to second a motion raised by her.
Natasha, who had kept a low profile since her return to the Senate last month, however made her first address before the chamber in six months.
The lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District had at the plenary session yesterday raised an additional prayer in her motion.
She called for the repatriation of children born by Nigerian female prisoners in Libya.
Natasha alleged that most of the inmates were sexual exploited by Libyan prison guards and officials which often lead to pregnancy with their children born inside the prison.
“I do have an additional prayer that the Nigerian Immigration and Prison Service should liase with the Libyan prisons to repatriate Nigerian female prisoners who birthed children in prisons.
“This is borne out of the fact that numerous Nigerian women who were sex trafficked to Libya and happened to escape the inhuman situation were arrested and detained in the Libyan prison and they are being used to satisfy sexual urges of the prison warders and prison officials.
“It is a fact that many Nigerian women who find themselves in the Libyan prisons are pregnant and many have given birth to children who live in the prisons.
“I will appreciate the chamber and my colleagues to approve this so that innocent children who are of Nigerian heritage do not suffer with their innocent mothers. That they be brought back to Nigeria.” Natasha said.
As captured in a video shared on X, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, sought clarification of the motion by Natasha as he feigned not to understand what she said before requesting for a seconder from other members of the chamber.
The legislatures however showed disinterest in the Kogi lawmaker’s motion as nobody seconded it.
The motion was eventually seconded by the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele.
However, Akpabio would ask Bamidele to repeat Natasha’s additional prayer for the lawmakers to understand.
The Senate majority leader’s struggle to repeat the prayer stirred laughter from the lawmakers who were called to order as Bamidele tried to defend the motion.
See video below