Ex-Senator Abbo denies rape allegation, blames political enemies

A former senator representing Adamawa North, Elisha Abbo, has dismissed reports alleging that he was detained by the police in Abuja over the rape of a 13-year-old girl, describing them as a politically motivated smear campaign.

The viral reports claimed that the mother of the alleged victim had reported the incident to the police and further alleged that a former female senator from Adamawa attempted to prevent her from filing the complaint.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Abbo denied the allegations, insisting that the claims were fabricated by political opponents seeking to tarnish his image.

He acknowledged that a woman had recently accused him of assaulting her daughter, but maintained that the case was an extortion attempt. According to him, the woman demanded N5 million to avoid reporting the matter to the police.

“The woman first asked me to pay N5 million, alleging I assaulted her daughter. I told her I would not give a kobo but would report the matter myself. So, I went to the police station and made a report. When I returned from a trip, I honoured their invitation, but the mother of the girl still went ahead to spread that false news,” Abbo said.

He insisted the reports were orchestrated by political enemies to discredit him, saying: “This is the handiwork of my political detractors. It is a deliberate smear campaign designed to disturb my peace.”

The police are yet to issue a formal statement on the controversy.

This is not the first time the embattled former lawmaker has been linked to scandal. In 2019, Abbo made national headlines after he was caught on camera assaulting a woman in an Abuja adult toy shop. Though he later apologised, the incident drew widespread outrage.

In 2024, another woman accused him on a radio programme of secretly recording their intimate encounter and allegedly releasing the video online to blackmail her, a claim Abbo strongly denied.

Abbo’s political career also suffered a major setback in October 2023, when the Court of Appeal sacked him as senator, ruling that Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was the rightful winner of the Adamawa North senatorial seat.