The embattled Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has disclosed that the idea of using a helicopter as a means of transport for her homecoming rally in Kogi came from her husband.

She also insisted that she broke no law by her actions as the road that led to the venue of the event was constructed by her and the land on which the helicopter landed is owned by her family.

Senator stated this on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television.

It would be recalled that hours before the event, the Kogi State government banned all forms of rallies in the state and declared that all convoys coming into the state must get approval.

However, Natasha circumvented the directives by arriving via helicopter, where she was received by her constituents.

Speaking on Tuesday’s homecoming rally, which coincided with the celebration of the 2025 Eid which is the end of the Ramadan fast, Senator Natasha insisted that it was not a political event as she had always done it even before she became a Senator, adding that it is a way of relating and giving back to her people.

She said she already knew that the state government came up with the restrictions because of her, adding that she wasn’t aware of any security challenge that could have warranted issuing such bans.

Senator Natasha also described herself as a peace-loving and law-abiding individual, contrary to the description by the state government that she is a law breaker.

Former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (rtd), who spent over two months in captivity, has recounted his harrowing experience in the hands of terrorists and kidnappers.

Tsiga revealed that he and other abductees were held in a dense forest surrounded by hills, teeming with dangerous animals. He described his survival as nothing short of divine intervention.

The 72-year-old said: “We were kept with dangerous animals—hyenas, snakes, and scorpions. A day before I was released, just the day before yesterday, while on the mountain where I was staying, we suddenly noticed a hyena circling us, looking for food. And what kind of food? Us, human beings.”

“Throughout our time there, we constantly lived with snakes and scorpions. But the most terrifying experience was how they treated those of us whose ranks they knew. Whenever troops attacked them, they would bring us out and use us as human shields, hoping to get us killed by the military strikes. They wanted us to be hit by the aircraft. But God is merciful.”

“The National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) have said it—the good ones will survive, and ultimately, the bad ones will meet their end.”

Tsiga further narrated a particularly chilling experience involving an unexploded rocket: “During an airstrike, a rocket was fired at the terrorists, but it didn’t explode. Instead, they carried the unexploded rocket and placed it where I was sleeping, hiding it in a way that if I touched it, it would detonate. Yet, by God’s mercy, I survived.”

He also highlighted the kidnappers’ belief that military officers have access to government funds, which led them to attack his home.

“They believe that those of us in uniform are given money by the government. That’s why they tried to break into my house. They couldn’t, so they went to my home in Kaduna and used explosives to destroy it, including the gates.”

Speaking on behalf of the 18 other rescued victims, Tsiga expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff. He emphasized that security is a collective responsibility.

“We must not assume that the government can do it all alone. Everyone must contribute by providing intelligence and information. The NSA and the CDS are not magicians; they need timely and accurate reports to act upon.”

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Thursday hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for rejecting a petition to recall her as the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The lawmaker, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the electoral umpire should have thrown out the petition long before it did on April 3, 2025.

“I’m a lawyer. I’m a senator and I understand how Nigeria works. For me, the most important thing is this recall process has been stalled.

“I give kudos and credit to INEC even though I believe they should have thrown it away from the get-go.

“I think it was void ab initio because there is no law in the Electoral Act that says a petition should be discarded just because there is no address but again, what if the address is false?”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain argued that most of the addresses provided in the petition for her recall were false because most houses in her district weren’t labelled.

Even though INEC did count 208,000 signatures, I bet you if they had gone into the verification stage, they would have struggled to even have 500 people come out to attest to signing that,” she added.