”My wife and daughter have been threatened to be raped and killed if I don’t withdraw from the presidential race” – Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm over threats to his family.

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 assassinat (sic) 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