Man who sent threat messages to Atiku arrested in Lagos

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has arrested 43-year-old Augustus Akpan for allegedly threatening former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the presidential race.
Force Spokesman, DCP Jimoh Moshood, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that the suspect hails from Edemaya Village in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Moshood said that one Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge cell phone and a SIM card used by the suspect to send the threat messages to Atiku were recovered.
He said that the suspect sent a text message which reads:
“Turaki Atiku, we are watching you and your family, we ask you right now to withdraw from the race for Presidency, we will kill, rape your wife and daughters.
“That your ambitious and black daughter, Maryam, who worked at CBN and left because we were going to mess her up. ”
“We will molest, rape, deform her and kill her. Your daughter Fatimah the former Commissioner of Health in Adamawa State, we have a lot of information about her,”he said.
“Let Buhari run against your PDP members. We know that you are bigger than all those candidates in PDP. That is why we need you to step down.
“We will blow your plane off from the sky and we will poison you and your family. Atiku Abubakar, take our words for granted and watch what will happen to your family before you.
“You are going to see what we will do to you and your family. We know where and where your children travel to. We have watched your daughter who is a strong supporter of her father (your daughter Maryam) at number 5, Buzi close and number 5, Lake Maracaibo close.
“Tell your dad to step down. He should forget about the Presidency. If he refuses, we will blow up his plane the Gulf Stream from the sky and also rape you and kill of his daughters,”he said.
The spokesman said that the suspect was arrested at the toll-gate along Lagos-Ibadan Express way, while on the run to escape arrest.
“During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and admitted that he resorted to the threat and intimidation when all efforts to extort money from the former vice president were unsuccessful,”he said.
Moshood said that the suspect also admitted that he was a professional fraudster and not working for any political party.
He said that his mention that ‘Let Buhari run against against your PDP members’ in his threat message to the former vice president was merely to divert attention.
Moshood said the recovered phone was robbed from a lady (name withheld) who identified him as the person that robbed her few months back.
“Investigation is being concluded and suspect will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation,” he said.