The police have arrested a 43-year-old fraudster, Augustus Akpan, for allegedly threatening to kill former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his family if he failed to withdraw from the presidential race.

The force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said Akpan from Edemaya village, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, sent threat messages to Atiku, his wife and daughter.

The suspect allegedly threatened to rape Atiku’s wife, Jennifer, and daughters, Fatima and Maryam, if the Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant did not withdraw from the race.

The police said one Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge plus phone and the SIM card used by the suspect to send the threat messages to Atiku and his family members were recovered.

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The threat message by Akpan read in part, “Turaki Atiku, we are watching you and your family, we ask you right now to withdraw from the race for Presidency.

“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.”

The police said that the suspect claimed to know the homes of Atiku’s daughters and their movements.

On receiving the complaint from Atiku, Moshood said the suspect was trailed and eventually arrested by the IGP Intelligence Response Team at the toll gate along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos State.

“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.

“The suspect also admitted in his confessional statement that he is a professional fraudster and not working for any political party. He said that his statement in which he asked Atiku not to run against Buhari was merely to divert attention,” the force spokesman stated.

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Moshood further explained that the suspect, who is fluent in English, Ibibio, Russian and Portuguese languages, confessed that he had defrauded many prominent individuals while posing as a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Central Intelligence Agency operative.

The police added that the phone Akpan was caught with was stolen from a lady who identified him as the person that robbed her a few months ago.