Senator Seeks Visa Ban on Corrupt Judicial Officers

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The immediate past chairman of the Senate Committee on Creative Economy, Senator Elisha Abbo, has urged governments of the United States and European Union to deny identified corrupt judicial officers in Nigeria, visa to travel to their countries.

He also called for the repatriation of any of their family members, who might currently be living in Europe and the America as a way of helping Nigeria to fight corruption.

Abbo, who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District  in 9th and 10th Senate before  his mandate was nullified by the Court of Appeal on October 16, 2023, made the appeal at a press conference in Abuja.

The Senator said he had already filed petitions against Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Sirajo, to the National Judicial Council and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) over their judgement in the electoral case between him and  Reverend Amos Kumai of the PDP on the 2023 National Assembly election.

Abbo had already been declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before his opponent took him to court after he had already been inaugurated as a member of the current 10th Senate.

He alleged that the Justices carried out judicial coup against democracy by nullifying election he won with close to 12, 000 votes against his closest rival through cancellation of votes in 253 polling units out of 924 polling units in Adamawa North Senatorial District.

He said while he was awaiting response on petitions filed against the allegedly corrupt Justices from President Bola Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kayode Ariwoola and the National Judicial Council (NJC), he hadalso petitioned the United States of America, European Union and United Kingdom, to slam visa ban against the affected justices.

“The cause I’m fighting is not a personal one between me and Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme and others but between good and bad.

“War against corruption in Nigeria, must be taken to the judiciary, where some Judges and Justices are carrying out judicial banditry or coup against democracy through unjustifiable nullification of elections of people validly voted for by Nigerian electorate.”