Former Senator representing Adamawa North, Ishaku Elisha Abbo, has denied reports circulating on social media that he is currently in police custody over the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl.
Reports emerged on Wednesday alleging that the former lawmaker was arrested by police in connection with the sexual assault of a minor at his Katampe residence in Abuja on June 29.
The family of the alleged victim claimed that Abbo had made repeated attempts to silence them, including allegedly sending money to the girl’s father. They also accused Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani), the 2023 governorship candidate in Adamawa, of visiting their home in a bid to dissuade them from pursuing the matter.
However, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abbo dismissed the allegations as false, describing them as a politically motivated smear campaign.
“I am not in police custody. I am at home with my family,” he said. “This is fake news being spread by my political enemies to tarnish my image.”
Abbo claimed that the matter was a case of attempted extortion, alleging that a woman had demanded N5 million from him with threats to file a rape complaint if he failed to pay.
He added that he reported the incident to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja, where both parties were later invited for questioning.
The controversy is the latest in a series of scandals involving the former senator. In 2019, he was captured in a viral video assaulting a woman at a sex toy shop in Abuja, an incident that drew widespread condemnation.
Abbo was also previously accused of attempting to blackmail a married woman using an alleged sex tape.
He served in the 9th Senate and was re-elected into the 10th Senate in 2023, before the Court of Appeal nullified his victory and declared Senator Amos Yohanna the duly elected representative for Adamawa North.
