TheCable

Olumuyiwa Owolabi-Atobatele (pictured), a photojournalist, has accused Elisha Abbo, senator representing Adamawa north, of assault.

Abbo has been under fire since a video where he was seen hitting an attendant at a shop in Abuja went viral.

The senator later admitted that he erred and tendered an apology.

But hours after apologising, Owolabi-Atobatele narrated his encounter with the lawmaker whom he said ordered policemen to shoot him.

The journalist said he met Abbo during the Ekiti state governorship election of 2014 and that the senator later offered him a N2.8 million contract to work as media consultant for his political campaign ahead of the 2015 elections.

The photojournalist said after Abbo lost the senatorial ticket, he refused to pay for the contract and all attempts to reach him became futile.

“The viral video of senator Elisha cliff ishiaku Abbo assaulting a young lady isn’t a new thing to me. As I was one of his victim of assault years back precisely October 14, 2014, after the gubernatorial election of former governor, Fayose,” he said.

“I met him during the electioneering campaign of Former Gov. Of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, while I was the official photojournalist to Fayose during the electioneering campaign and head of photojournalist to his deputy after the election.

Abbo with Fayose

“I had a contract of N2.8million naira with him, to work as a media personnel to him, to cover all his movement for the election and for his campaign as senator, in Mubi North, under APC in 2015.

“On August 13, 2015, I traveled with him to Yola Adamawa State, from Abuja by air and we lodged at Lelewa hotel for weeks while campaigning for the primary election.

“We traveled from Adamawa to Mubi, Vintim muchala back to Mubi and later to Yola after he lost the Senatorial ticket.”

Owolabi-Atobatele, who shared screenshots of his chats with Abbo, said instead of paying him, the senator beat him and broke his ankle.

According to him, the senator also ordered his police escort to shoot and kill him if he continued with the demand.

“On approaching Sen. Ishiaku of the contract agreement we had together, he refused to pay. Despite so many persuasion in other for him to just give me part of my money, he refused to attend to me,” he said.

“On the faithful day we wanted to travel together to Mubi for the last campaign, but Bokoharam invaded Mubi prior to the day we ought to have travel. Due to the invasion of Bokoharam I began to plead with him that I needed to leave the state.

“As soon as he came out, I began to plead with him that I have to go, the next thing he said is that I was embarrassing him, he leaped on me and started beating and slapping me. To the extent of telling his orderly to put me inside the pickup. He told them to cock the gun at me that he will kill me and tell people am a member of Boko Haram.

“When I heard that statement I was shocked because I don’t know anybody there and I can’t speak their language fluently. No one could come to my rescue as everybody was just dumbfounded at the way he brutalised me and broke my ankle.

“I was begging him to just leave me and let me go that I will leave the money for him because of his action. That very night at around 2am. I was driven along quiet area telling his orderly that they should shoot me if I dear shout again. On that fateful night, one of his orderly begged that they should take me to Police station.

“He broke my phone I couldn’t contact anybody he tore my cloth and naked me. Till date, he didn’t pay me the money.”

Below are the screenshots Owolabi-Atobatele used to substantiate that he had a conversation with the lawmaker: