Abuja – The Nigerian Police have cleared former Senator representing Adamawa North, Ishaku Abbo, of an alleged rape of a minor, stating that investigations found no credible evidence to support the claim.
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, the police said Abbo was exonerated following a thorough investigation ordered by the Inspector-General of Police after a petition submitted in September 2025.
The allegation, lodged by Mrs Zainab Mohammed, accused Abbo of sexually assaulting Khadija Mohammed at his Katampe Extension residence in Abuja on June 29, 2025.
The police assigned four specialized units—the Force Criminal Investigation Department Gender Unit, the National Cybercrime Centre, the Intelligence Tactical Unit, and the Medical Unit—to probe the allegation.
A report signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Oki Rita Oyintare and dated October 23, 2025, concluded that the essential elements of the alleged offence were lacking.
The report noted that the alleged survivor was taken to Deda Hospital on July 10, 2025, where medical tests confirmed that her hymen was intact, indicating she had not been sexually assaulted.
The police also highlighted that crucial digital evidence could not be recovered after the complainant’s device was reportedly erased.
Witnesses present at the senator’s residence during the alleged incident, including Patience Jesse and Nafisa Mohammed, confirmed that no rape occurred.
The investigation further revealed that Abbo had previously accused the complainant and her companion of stealing his wife’s gold jewelry, a case he reported to the Dawaki Police Station on July 16, 2025.
All medical screenings for hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and HIV returned negative, and nothing incriminating was found during a search of the senator’s residence on October 3, 2025.
When contacted, Abbo declined extensive comment, stating, “God will expose all evil plans against me and reward the doers according to their deeds.” In October 2025, he had dismissed reports of his arrest over the alleged rape, describing them as a smear campaign by political opponents.
Abbo was first elected to the Senate in 2019 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party before defecting to the All Progressives Congress in 2020.
He was re-elected in 2023 but was later sacked by the Court of Appeal, which declared the PDP candidate, Amos Yohanna, as the duly elected senator for Adamawa North.
