The Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja has cleared Senator Elisha Abbo of rape and sexual abuse allegations on a 13-year-old girl over lack of evidence, rebuking the minor’s parents for delaying informing the police despite learning of the matter a week after it allegedly happened.

The FCID blamed Zainab Mohammed for allowing months to pass before informing the police about the alleged rape of her teenage daughter, stating that the timeframe of the incident from June 29 to October 3 gave room for the erosion of vital evidence such as DNA and blood samples which could have been used to prove her case.

Ms Mohammed accused Mr Abbo of raping her teenage daughter in his Katampe Extension residence on June 29. The minor said she accompanied her elder sister’s friend, Nafisa Chigli, to visit her relative who she later learned to be Mr Abbo.

She claimed that Mr Abbo raped her in his room after instructing Miss Chigli to stay in the bathroom. But Mr Abbo strongly denied the allegations. She informed her mother around July 10, saying she did not disclose the allegation promptly because she feared for her life as Mr Abbo allegedly threatened to kill her and family members if she spoke up.

The police searched Mr Abbo’s apartment for clues on October 3 but found nothing useful to buttress the claims.

“That scene of crime/execution of search warrant was conducted on October 3, 2025, but unfortunately all ingredients to support the offence were not seen probably because of the timeframe,” the FCID stated in the report dated October 30 and seen by Peoples Gazette.

The police further scolded Ms Mohammed for obstructing investigation after she refused to submit her phone and her daughter’s phone for forensic tests and analysis as was run on the mobile devices of Mr Abbo, Miss Chigli and Miss Chigli’s mother.

Mr Abbo said the minor reached out to him after June 29 to ask for money to celebrate her 14th birthday party. He said that he obliged and transferred N200,000 to the minor through the account of her father’s driver. The police found the minor’s WhatsApp chats on Mr Abbo’s phone requesting the said sum.

The accused affirmed that the girls both visited but that they didn’t stay for long. He said his wife was at the saloon and he needed to dash out to get medications. The former lawmaker said that he transferred N50,000 each to the girls to buy ice cream and drove them to Gwarinpa, where the meds were sold.

The following day, Mr Abbo said that his wife complained of missing jewellery the following day and that the girls were his prime suspects.

He asked the girls about the gold necklace and earrings but they both denied it, leading him to escalate the matter to the Dawaki Police Station where the alleged theft is still being investigated.

Mr Abbo said the minor’s mother began to tarnish his image with false allegations and requested N5 million as hush money. The Adamawa State ex-lawmaker said that he declined because giving out any kind of money would be interpreted as guilt. He insisted that he was innocent.

The minor’s mother petitioned the police to investigate the matter. She said that Mr Abbo threatened to release her daughter’s nude photos if she reported him to the police.

She also said senator Aisha Binani visited her residence on Mr Abbo’s behalf and showed her the minor’s nude images. Ms Mohammed said Ms Binani asked her to drop the case in consideration of her daughter’s future.

The police said although they found Internet-downloaded nude images on Mr Abbo’s devices, the minor’s nude photos were not among them.

After weeks of investigation including analysis of Mr Abbo and Miss Chigli’s phones, the police concluded that there was no evidence to link the lawmaker to the rape allegations.

Medical tests run by privately owned Deda Hospital released on July 11 showed that the minor was a virgin with a hymen that was “intact” albeit with bruises in her genital region.

But another round of tests conducted at the government-owned Police Hospital on September 19 revealed that the minor’s hymen had been breached. Mr Abbo questioned how a girl who was certified a virgin after visiting his residence as of July 11, had a breached hymen by September 30.

Another issue was the N200,000 transaction dated July 1 as it was unclear why Mr Abbo still sent the money to the teenager, who he accused of stealing his wife’s jewellery.

“After an extensive investigation in this case, it was discovered that the essential elements of this offence are lacking as a result of the time frame between the date of the commission of the alleged offence and the time it was reported for police investigation,” the police concluded in their report.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rita Emesim Oyintare, who signed the report, recommended that the matter be litigated in court to “satisfy the curiosity of the society.”