Senator Elisha Abbo recently called upon the governments of the United States and the European Union to deny visas to identified corrupt judicial officers in Nigeria. He also advocated for the repatriation of any family members of these corrupt officials currently residing in Europe and the United States, as part of efforts to combat corruption in Nigeria.
Abbo, who previously served as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Creative Economy, held a press conference in Abuja to make these appeals. He highlighted his petitions against Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe, and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo to the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN). These petitions were regarding their judgments in an electoral case between him and Reverend Amos Kumai of the PDP in the 2023 National Assembly election.
Abbo asserted that the nullification of his election victory, despite winning with a significant margin, amounted to a judicial coup against democracy. He emphasized that his fight was not personal but aimed at upholding justice and combating corruption within the judiciary.
Having filed petitions against the allegedly corrupt justices, Abbo also reached out to President Bola Tinubu, CJN Kayode Ariwoola, and the NJC for action. Additionally, he petitioned the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom to impose visa bans on the implicated justices.
Abbo underscored the importance of rooting out corruption within the judiciary, where some judges and justices engage in what he termed “judicial banditry” by unjustly nullifying elections.
