The Nigeria Police Force has cleared former Adamawa North senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo of allegations ranging from rape and defilement to sexual exploitation, conspiracy and threat to life, citing insufficient credible evidence after months of investigation that drew intense public and media attention.
The allegation, reported to the Inspector General of Police on September 15, 2025, accused Abbo of assaulting a 13-year-old girl, Khadija Mohammed, at his Katampe Extension residence in Abuja on June 29, 2025.
The complaint was filed by Zainab Mohammed and Fatima Mohammed, with Khadija identified as the survivor. A multi-unit probe led by the Force Criminal Investigation Department’s Gender Unit under Deputy Commissioner of Police Oki Rita Emesim Oyintare involved the National Cyber Crime Centre, the Intelligence Tactical Unit and the FCID Medical Unit.
In a report dated October 23, 2025, investigators said the essential elements of the alleged offences could not be established, pointing largely to evidentiary gaps and delays in reporting.
According to the findings, Khadija was taken to Abbo’s residence by Nafisa Mohammed Chigli, a friend of her elder sister, at a time when only a security guard was present in the house, which belongs to Abbo’s third wife.
A search of the residence conducted on October 3, 2025, produced no incriminating material, with police noting that the time lag between the alleged incident and the investigation likely affected recoverable evidence.
Medical reports were described as conflicting. A July 11, 2025 examination at Deda Hospital recorded an intact hymen and negative screenings for sexually transmitted infections, while a later Police Hospital report dated September 30 indicated the hymen had been breached, a discrepancy investigators attributed to the intervening period. A mobile phone initially seized by the complainant and believed to contain key evidence was not promptly submitted and had been flashed by the time it reached police custody.
Forensic analysis of four phones, including Abbo’s, yielded no images or messages involving the minor, while witness statements, including that of the gatekeeper, did not corroborate the allegation.
