Former federal lawmaker representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in the 9th Senate, Senator Elisha Abbo, has come forward to defend himself against allegations of sharing intimate videos of his ex-girlfriend.
On Tuesday, Senator Abbo appeared on Brekete Family, a popular human rights show on Abuja-based Human Rights Radio, to refute claims made by his accuser, Wange David.
The show, which was streamed live on Facebook, gave the former senator a platform to address the serious allegations against him.
During the live broadcast, Abbo strongly denied any involvement in leaking sex tapes, calling the accusations a baseless attempt to tarnish his reputation.
“Wange has told different versions of the story, which clearly means she is lying,” Abbo stated.
He provided documents and videos as evidence, which he handed to the show’s host, Ahmed Isah, popularly known as the ‘Ordinary President.’
According to Abbo, the accusations are simply false.
He argued that there was no concrete proof linking him to the alleged video, questioning how a person could be identified from a video showing only parts of their body.
“How can you identify a person without seeing his face, his body, only parts of his legs, and you said it is Senator Abbo?” he asked.
The controversy began when Wange David appeared on the same Brekete Family show on Monday.
She accused Abbo of threatening to use intimate videos of their past relationship as blackmail.
Wange claimed that they had been in a romantic relationship for six years before she got married. She also alleged that during this time, they had made sex tapes together, and she believed Abbo had leaked the video.
“He is the only one that has access to that video,” Wange said during her appearance on TrustTV News, a YouTube channel that aired her interview the day after the story broke.
She further accused the former senator of trying to use these videos as a bargaining chip to manipulate her.
These serious accusations quickly gained traction, especially with the circulation of the video on social media.
In response to Wange’s allegations, Abbo issued a 72-hour ultimatum, demanding that she retract her statements and apologize publicly.
His legal team, led by Odiyowvi Osusu, emphasized that the defamatory nature of the accusations had damaged Abbo’s reputation, both personally and professionally.
A formal letter was sent to Wange, requesting that she publish or broadcast a retraction on the same platforms where the original content was shared.
The letter, which was shared with the public, stated, “We have been instructed by our client to make a demand, and we hereby formally request that within 72 hours of receiving this letter, you publish or air an unequivocal public retraction and apology on national TV and in three national newspapers.”
Abbo’s legal team is prepared to take Wange to court if she does not meet the 72-hour deadline.
“If our demands are not met within the given timeframe, we will not hesitate to take legal steps to protect my client’s rights,” Osusu said.
The team has outlined plans to seek an injunction to prevent any further publication or sharing of the alleged defamatory statements.
Abbo also mentioned that his legal team would pursue full legal action, including claims for damages caused by the false allegations.
“This issue has caused me emotional distress and harm to my career. I will not let it go unchallenged,” Abbo said.
Revenge porn has become a growing concern in Nigeria, as more cases of individuals sharing or threatening to release intimate content without consent emerge.
Although Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act covers defamation and blackmail, the issue of revenge porn is relatively new and is not directly addressed in the law. This has led to calls for more robust legislation that specifically protects victims of intimate content being shared without their permission.
Legal experts have warned that while revenge porn cases are hard to prosecute, victims should always seek legal redress to ensure justice is served.
