Get Guardian on GoogleThe April 15, 2025, attack on the ancestral home of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in Obeiba-Ihima, Kogi State has been seen as a chilling reminder of the rising dangers faced by outspoken female politicians in Nigeria.
Although the lawmaker was not in town, the attackers believed otherwise, vandalising windows and targeting the property where her grandfather once lived.
Swift action by civil defence operatives and local residents prevented further damage, and ensured no casualties were recorded.
According to the senator’s Chief Security Officer, Yakubu Ovanja, the assailants arrived around 1:00am and vandalised the property.
Following a distress call, security operatives from Okehi responded.
Although no arrests have been made, the incident has been documented, and preliminary investigations have begun.
Confirming the attack, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the assailants may have believed she was in town, prompting the assault on her family home.
She added that no one was hurt, and that the gunmen were chased away by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“Two days ago, my younger brother took some contractors to my hometown in Ihima. They inspected locations of the next series of projects I attracted to my senatorial district,” she said.
