Court fines sex shop senator N50m for assault

Etim Ekpimah

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered Senator Elisha Abbo to pay N50m compensation to Osimibibra Warmate for assaulting her on Monday.

The Adamawa-North lawmaker was in 2019 arraigned before a magistrate court in Zuba on one count of assault on Warmate at a sex toy shop in Abuja.

Warmate had filed a fundamental rights suit, CV/2393/19 before the FCT High Court after Magistrate Abdullahi Ilelah, despite video evidence of the incident, upheld Abbo’s no-case submission and dismissed the case.

The magistrate also ruled that the medical report of Mega Sight Eye Clinic, which confirmed damage to her eye inflicted by the lawmaker did not disclose in detail what happened to the victim.

The court said Abbo did not admit guilt in the press conference he held to apologise for the incident.

Lugard Tare-Otu and Nelson, who identified themselves as Warmate’s lawyers confirmed the court’s verdict on Twitter.

“Remember that video of a Nigerian senator slapping/assaulting a young lady at a shop? Well justice was served today with the court slamming the sum of N50m against the Senator.

“I am delighted to have represented that young lady in this suit. We say no more to oppression,” Nelson wrote.