According to Atiku, his wife and daughter have received
threat messages from unknown persons who have vowed to get them raped and
killed if he doesn't back out from the presidnetial race.
In a petition titled “Petition Over Criminal Intimidation
And Threat To My Life, That Of Members Of My Family, And Cyber Stalking Using
Mobile Phone Number 08148228704,” which he wrote to President Buhari on
September 7th, Atiku requested more police protection for his family and
himself from the president, disclosing that he, his wife and daughters had
received separate text messages from a mobile line stating that unless he backs
out of the race, his family members would be raped and killed.
He noted that he received a threat text message on his
mobile line on September 8th this year, and said the same number sent rape and
death threats to his wife and daughter. He said the author of the text message
he got on September 8 this year said he or she was watching Atiku’s family and
that they would rape and kill his wife, Jennifer, as well as his daughters,
Maryam and Fatimah.
The former vice president called on President Buhari to
order an urgent investigation into the matter, as it could lead to serious
security breaches.
The petition reads
“I present my highest compliments to the president and
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and
have the honour to request your excellency’s kind review/investigation and
urgent consideration of extra protection for my family and I against some
criminal intimidation and threat to my life, that of my family, and the cyber
stalking against my family and I, using telephone mobile number
+2348148228704.”
Atiku, in the petition, said the author threatened that if
he did not withdraw from the presidential contest, “we will kill, rape your
wife and daughters”, whom they identified as Mariam, who worked at Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN), and Fatima, a former commissioner in Adamawa State.
The petition also stated that the author threatened to “mess
up his wife”, whom they used unsavoury expressions against. He listed some of
threats to include:
“We will blow your plane off the sky and we will poison you
and your family. You are going to see what we will go with your family. We know
where and where your children travel to. We will blow up all your properties
and those of his wife. We control the aviation towers in Nigeria and South
Africa. We are on government and Buhari will win again. Your party members will
never select you and, if they do, we will assassinate you. We will kill you by
blowing up your plane.” He wrote
In separate text messages to Atiku’s wife and daughter, the
anonymous person told them to prevail on Atiku to back down from the contest or
they will be harmed. The former vice president, however, said,
''From the foregoing, Mr President can see that if adequate
and urgent steps are not taken to identify and deal with these threats, it
could lead to serious breaches and may constitute real danger to national
security. Considering that these threats border on the right of my family and I
to life as well as my freedom to aspire for and contest for the presidency in
Nigeria, I urge you to commence urgent investigation with a view to identifying
the person (s) behind the threat, expose and prosecute the culprit (s) in
accordance with the laws. “I request that you ensure the continued protection
of my rights to life, that of my family, my property and my rights and freedoms
to associate and aspire to any political office as guaranteed under the 1999
Nigerian constitution (as amended),” he stated in his petition
