Loading ...ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a stunning public disclosure that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political space, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has accused a state Commissioner of Police (CP) of openly endorsing political violence and thuggery.
Speaking during a high-profile national discourse on security sector reforms, the outspoken female legislator revealed that instead of protecting citizens, a top law enforcement chief actively advised her to recruit her own armed syndicate to counter attacks from rival political elements.
The Disregard For Video Evidence
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that the shocking interaction occurred after she obtained raw video footage showing uniformed police officers actively collaborating with armed political thugs to terrorize local communities and disrupt opposition gatherings.
Seeking institutional intervention, she personally delivered the video evidence to the state police command headquarters, expecting the leadership to discipline the compromised officers and arrest the criminals. Instead, she met total institutional resistance.
“I took video evidence to the Commissioner of Police in my state showing how his officers were openly working with thugs and criminals,” Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stated. “Instead of acting on it, the CP looked at me and said, ‘You should employ your own thugs too.’”
A History Of Targeted State Violence
The lawmaker’s explosive testimony matches a long, documented pattern of bloody political warfare in her home state. During her previous electoral campaigns under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Akpoti-Uduaghan’s convoys were repeatedly ambushed, her party secretariat was set ablaze, and her supporters were openly killed.
In one notable incident, she was forced to personally deliver the corpse of a slain supporter to the state police headquarters to demand justice after local police officers allegedly watched armed actors carry out house-to-house raids against her followers.
| Layer Of Security Failure | Alleged Police Response And Conduct |
| The Evidence Provided | Clear video proof of state officers working hand-in-hand with armed thugs. |
| Official Advice | The state Commissioner of Police told the female candidate to hire her own thugs. |
| Field Consequences | Unchecked political hitmen killed opposition supporters and burned party offices. |
| Legislative Stand | Utilizing these systemic failures to make an aggressive case for decentralized State Police. |
The Push For Decentralized State Police
The Senator used her harrowing personal experiences to bolster the ongoing legislative push within the National Assembly for the establishment of decentralized State Police systems across Nigeria.
She argued that the current centralized architecture allows highly corrupt federal officers to be easily manipulated by sitting governors and powerful regional actors to oppress opposition voices and shield criminal cartels.
According to her, when the state apparatus becomes a tool for institutional intimidation, ordinary citizens and progressive politicians are left completely defenseless. As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Headquarters in Abuja has not issued an official statement regarding the damning allegations made by the lawmaker.
