Court ejects suit against Senator Abbo despite viral assault video

A magistrate court in Zuba, Abuja, has dismissed the assault case filed by the Nigerian Police against the Adamawa senator, Elisha Abbo, TopNaija can confirm.

The court dismissed the suit for lack of diligent prosecution by the police. This is despite a viral video showing Mr Abbo assaulting a woman, Osimibibra Warmate; and a televised press conference in which the lawmaker apologised to the victim.

The magistrate, Abdullahi Ilelah, who upheld a no-case submission filed by Mr Abbo, said the police failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the lawmaker assaulted Ms Warmate on May 11, 2019, Punch Newspaper reports.

The case with suit number CR/010/2019 lasted from July 8, 2019, till June 18, 2020. And the two witnesses that testified against Mr Abbo were Ms Warmate, and a police officer, Mary Daniel, who investigated the matter.

Recall that TopNaija had in 2019 exposed how the young senator was caught on camera assaulting a woman in Abuja.

The May 11 incident occurred barely three months after Mr Abbo became a senator-elect and a month before he was sworn in on June 11.

Footage of the video seen by this newspaper showed the 41-year-old senator physically assaulting the woman, whom he accused of insulting him by calling him “a drunk”. A policeman who stood by did nothing to protect the victim.

Mr Abbo later owned up to his actions by issuing an apology publicly amidst tears.

He, thereafter, turned himself into the police, who held him for a night, before granting him bail “after meeting a set of administrative conditions for his bound”.

Abdullahi Ilelah, the presiding judge upheld a no-case submission filed by Senator Abbo. He said the police did not convince the court that Abbo indeed assaulted Osimibibra Warmate on May 11, 2019. The complainant, Warmate and a police officer, ASP Mary Daniel were the witnesses who testified against the Senator.