Retiring Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, revealed on Friday, November 6, 2026, that members of a seven-justice panel of Nigeria’s highest court were placed on a visa ban by the United States of America following a controversial verdict.
​Justice Abba-Aji made the disclosure during a formal valedictory court session held in her honour at the Supreme Court Complex in Abuja to mark her retirement from the apex court bench upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.
​Speaking before a distinguished audience of judicial officers, legal practitioners, and government officials, Justice Abba-Aji reflected on her judicial career and highlighted the personal and professional costs of handling sensitive judicial matters.
​”My time on the Supreme Court bench was filled with challenges, some of which have served as additional opportunities to stand firm on the side of justice, regardless of the consequences,” Justice Abba-Aji stated during her address.
​”One of such challenging judgments 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 added, describing the sanction as part of the price jurists pay to preserve the integrity of justice.
​Although Justice Abba-Aji did not explicitly name the case during her valedictory remarks, the travel restriction is linked to the apex court’s 2020 judgment on the disputed 2019 Imo State governorship election petition.
​Addressing the gathering, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) commended Justice Abba-Aji’s contributions to Nigerian jurisprudence, noting her role as the 7th female Justice of the Supreme Court and President of the National Association of Women Judges. The CJN remarked that she “contributed to creating a space in which other women could find their voices and assume positions of leadership.”
​Justice Abba-Aji confirmed that the visa restrictions imposed by the United States government remain subsisting against the affected jurists.
