Residents of Adamawa woke up to heated conversations on Friday after reports spread across news platforms that Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo was being held at the Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja.
The allegations, tied to the alleged rape“>rape“>rape of a 13-year-old schoolgirl, quickly stirred debates across social media and the streets of Yola.
But the former lawmaker, who represented Adamawa North in the 9th Senate, strongly denied both the rape“>rape“>rape allegation and reports of police custody. 
Speaking in a telephone conversation with journalists, Senator Abbo insisted he had been at his Abuja home all of Thursday, not inside any police station.
“The said report is handiwork of my political detractors. It is an orchestrated smear campaign to disturb my peace by political enemies,” Abbo said firmly.
The Senator described the story as “baseless, unfounded, and mischievous.” He explained that what actually happened was different from what the public was being told.
According to him, he had earlier reported a woman to the police after she allegedly demanded ₦5 million from him. He claimed both parties were invited to FCID for questioning, but to his surprise, the story later transformed into rape“>rape“>rape allegations.
“I personally reported the desperate female money monger to the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), where both of us were later invited for questioning, only for me to be reading or hearing completely different story several weeks after now,” Abbo stated.
The latest accusation against Abbo came from the family of the teenager, who alleged that the ex-lawmaker sexually assaulted their daughter at his Katampe residence in Abuja on June 29, 2025.
The family further claimed that Abbo attempted to silence them by sending money to the girl’s father, while also alleging that Senator Aishatu Binani, former governorship candidate in Adamawa, visited to discourage them from pressing forward with the case.
Across Adamawa, residents expressed mixed feelings. Some people in Mubi and Michika told The Gazette News (Nigeria) that they were not surprised because of the Senator’s past controversies. Others, however, urged Nigerians to wait for proper investigations before passing judgment.
For many Nigerians, the allegations reopened memories of Abbo’s troubled political history. In 2019, a viral video showed him assaulting a woman at a sex toy shop in Abuja. That incident sparked outrage nationwide and damaged his public image. He was also once accused of blackmailing a married woman with an alleged sex tape.
This time, the rape“>rape“>rape case has left many divided. Some youths in Yola described it as another chapter in what they see as Abbo’s “pattern of reckless behavior,” while others dismissed it as “political games” designed to finish him off.
At the Katampe extension in Abuja, where Abbo claimed to have been on Thursday, neighbors said they noticed unusual traffic of journalists and security presence around the area. A shop owner close to his residence told reporters that “there was noise in the street yesterday, people saying oga has been carried to police, but I still saw his convoy going out in the evening.”
In Abuja, journalists who tried to reach FCID officials were met with silence. A senior police source, however, confirmed that the matter was “sensitive” and under investigation. The source neither confirmed nor denied that the senator was in custody.
Meanwhile, human rights advocates in Adamawa have called for transparency in handling the case. “Whether rich or poor, powerful or ordinary, every accused person should face a fair investigation. If the girl’s claims are true, she deserves justice. If it is false, then the senator deserves to be cleared,” said Amina Yusuf, a women’s rights activist based in Yola.
Political watchers believe the allegation could further dent Abbo’s future ambitions. His name still rings heavy in Adamawa politics, but scandals like this, especially one involving a minor, could sink his career completely if proven.
In conversations across tea shops and motor parks in Yola, many ordinary citizens expressed fatigue.
“We are tired of politicians always making news for the wrong reasons,” said Musa Garba, a tricycle rider. “Our roads are bad, there is no job, but every month it is one scandal or another.”
For now, Abbo maintains his innocence. He insists he is a victim of a smear campaign by enemies who want to destroy him politically and personally. But with the victim’s family pressing forward, the police keeping sealed lips, and the public divided, the case is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about controversies in Nigeria this year.
Whether this allegation fades away like others before it, or whether it grows into a full trial that could define Abbo’s political legacy, only time will tell. For residents in Adamawa, the story remains alive in every conversation, from the dusty streets of Mubi to the markets of Jimeta.