Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji Says Supreme Court Justices Were Placed on U.S. Visa Ban List

Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji said a U.S. visa ban covered every member of a panel on which she served at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. She described the restriction as still in force when she spoke at a valedictory session in Abuja, but did not identify when it began.

She linked the measure to a judgment she said had been misunderstood. “One such challenging judgment 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.”

The disclosure came before her scheduled retirement on November 7, 2026, when she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. Abba-Aji called the restriction one of the costs of judicial service, saying, “Such inconveniences were a small price to pay to preserve the chastity of justice.”

She did not name the case or identify the other justices she said were affected. Her remarks describe an alleged continuing restriction, not a new U.S. policy announcement.

• Abba-Aji did not identify a case or judgment.
• The possible Imo connection was not part of her remarks.
• The separate election ruling was issued on January 14, 2020.

The Imo election case remains only a possible link

The possible connection is to the 2019 Imo State governorship election dispute. Vanguard’s article raises that case as a possible link; Abba-Aji did not identify it as the judgment behind the restriction.

In the separate ruling, the court removed Emeka Ihedioha and ordered Hope Uzodimma sworn in as governor. The panel’s judgment also directed election officials to withdraw Ihedioha’s certificate and issue a new one to Uzodimma.

Accounts of that case name Abba-Aji and Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, alongside then-Chief Justice Justice Tanko Muhammad and Justices Sylvester Ngwuta, Kayode Ariwola and Amiru Sanusi. Those names are associated with the election ruling, not confirmed as the people covered by the restriction Abba-Aji described.

The distinction is important when reading the reported connection. The names tied to the Imo case cannot establish who was on the unnamed panel she meant.

Ihedioha later sought a review, which the court refused. Justice Centus Nweze dissented in that review and warned, “This decision of the Supreme Court will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.” His dissent does not identify the earlier judgment Abba-Aji said triggered a U.S. restriction.

The allegation has no stated U.S. start date or legal basis

Abba-Aji’s remarks are the stated basis for the claim that the panel faced a travel restriction. No U.S. agency has publicly confirmed the alleged restriction on Nigerian justices, and no effective date or statutory basis for it has been stated.

That leaves two basic questions unanswered: when the restriction began and which individuals it covers. Abba-Aji said it applied to all members of her panel, but did not provide their names or identify the judgment. The possible Imo connection does not fill those gaps.

The report also does not establish whether any individual’s current visa or travel status is affected. A reader should not infer a personal restriction from the general account. Anyone with a case-specific question should check directly with U.S. consular authorities.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.