Exposed: US Slams Visa Ban On 7 Nigerian Supreme Court Justices
A retiring Justice of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, has revealed that seven justices of the country’s highest court were subjected to a United States visa ban over a controversial judgement, disclosing that the restrictions remained in force years after the decision.
Abba-Aji made the disclosure on Friday during a valedictory court session held in her honour in Abuja, ahead of her retirement on Saturday, November 7, upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The jurist explained that the travel restrictions followed a Supreme Court judgement that attracted widespread criticism, although she maintained that the decision had been misinterpreted.
Reflecting on the difficulties encountered during her judicial career, she said some of her experiences had strengthened her determination to uphold justice regardless of personal consequences.
“One of such challenging judgements was widely misinterpreted and led to a travel ban to the United States of America being imposed on all members of the panel, a ban which still holds today,” she disclosed.
She described the restrictions as a sacrifice that judicial officers sometimes endured in defending their decisions, insisting that such inconveniences were a small price to pay for preserving judicial integrity.
Although Abba-Aji did not identify the judgement responsible for the sanctions, the disclosure has renewed attention on the Supreme Court’s controversial January 14, 2020, decision that removed Emeka Ihedioha of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as Governor of Imo State in favour of Hope Uzodinma.
The seven-member panel, which included Abba-Aji and the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, overturned earlier tribunal and Court of Appeal decisions affirming Ihedioha’s election.
The court subsequently declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had finished fourth in the original election results, the duly-elected Governor after admitting previously excluded results from 388 polling units.
The decision generated nationwide controversy and protests, with critics questioning the computation of votes and the legal reasoning behind the ruling.
Ihedioha’s subsequent application for a review was rejected in March 2020, although Justice Chima Centus Nweze dissented, warning that the decision could have lasting consequences for Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.
However, there has been no public confirmation from American authorities linking Abba-Aji’s reported visa restrictions specifically to the Imo judgement.
The retiring Justice also recalled facing an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2016 following allegations of corruption.
She said the investigation subjected her to considerable embarrassment before she was eventually cleared of wrongdoing.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Justice Kekere-Ekun praised Abba-Aji’s distinguished judicial career, which began in Borno State in 1973 and included service at the Court of Appeal before her elevation to the Supreme Court in January 2019.
