IT’S been over eight months since a leaked tape showing Elisha Abbo, a lawmaker representing Adamawa North district assaulting a nursing woman surfaced, and within this period he has received three notable awards of recognition.

Abbo had assaulted a nursing mother in an adult sex toy shop in Abuja over reasons claiming that she called him a drunk. He had reacted by repeatedly slapping the woman as revealed in a leaked tape on July 2, 2019.

Although the incident happened on May 11, 2019, the lawmaker had neither apologised to the victim nor paid her hospital bills before footage from the shop’s CCTV recordings leaked.

It was reported that the assaulted woman was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for eye inflammation and other injuries she sustained during the attack.

Notwithstanding, the young senator, aged 41 has continued to showcase various awards he had received despite public questioning of his eligibility for the awards.

The first of the three awards he received came barely three weeks after the leaked tape went viral. The young senator was awarded an “Icon of Democracy” by the Intercommunity Awareness for Change and Development Initiative, (IACDI), a non-government organization that provides a platform for capacity building. The event took place in Abuja on July 28, 2019.

The organizers said the senator’s efforts in nation-building, contributions on relevant matters concerning the masses, being a young astute democrat who despite trial and persecution focused on dividends of democracy had incited his recognition. But The ICIR has not been able to find evidence justifying such recognition.

Also, The ICIR was unable to trace footprints of the IACDI official website and, that of its Director identified as Dr Lami Uguogho, whose name could not be found in any of the social media platforms.

Also, on December 28, 2019, Abbo was honoured with the “Beacon of Hope” at the 4th edition of the Adamawa Celebrities and Achievers Awards (ACAA) in Yola. Again, the Centre was unable to establish concrete evidence for honouring the senator.

Recently, on March 12, the senator was honoured as the National Patron of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), a recognition which had gotten Nigerians talking, especially actors in the industry who described the development as “unpardonable” calling for his immediate removal.

Veteran actress Hilda Dokubo in an almost 2 minutes video had called for the immediate removal of Abbo as patron of the AGN.

She said in part, “How did he get on the line of an organisation that has people like me? That is not possible! We cannot have an abuser as patron of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.

“Do you know having Abbo on that list of patron makes a mess of every other honourable person on that list? Let’s cut the crap, however he got on that line, get him out on that list, he doesn’t qualify to be a patron of an organisation whose responsibility is to educate, entertain into positive action. Hell no! Get him out!

She called on all members of the AGN to stand up and reject Abbo as patron of the guild.

Similarly, an A-List actress Kate Henshaw said, “@AbboElisha is NOT worthy to be a patron of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. We have women in this guild and we do not want to be slapped!!”.

While some had opined that having him on the list of awarded patrons was not totally wrong having apologised for his offence and charged by the law already, others maintained his actions in the past disqualify him for honourary recognitions.

Recall that Abbo had publicly apologized on screen amidst tears, stating that his actions at the sex toy, do not describe his personality. 

He thereafter turned himself in, to the police where he was held for a night before granted bail “after meeting a set of administrative conditions for his bound”. 

Subsequently, Abbo was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate court, Zuba, Abuja, with two counts of criminal charges preferred against him.

He pleaded not guilty despite his public apology. The court granted him bail of N5 million with two competent sureties. 

Section 252 of the Criminal Code Act defines assault as a situation where “A person who strikes, touches, or moves, or otherwise applies force of any kind to the person of another, either directly or indirectly, without his consent… as an assault”.

Also, Section 351 of the Criminal Code Act states the punishment for assault as: “Any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to, if no greater punishment is provided, to imprisonment for one year”.