By Lawrence Olaoye
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday raised the alarm that certain people suspected to be conmen are targeting him for embarrassment.
One week after a man climbed a telecom mast to protest alleged non-payment of his debt by the former Vice President, another incident has occurred at Atiku’s Unguwar Rimi residence in Kaduna where an intruder allegedly attempted to force his way into the house.
According to details of the incident released by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja, the intruder banged persistently on the gate, demanding to see the former Vice President.
Although the statement did not overtly link the incidences to politics, sources hinted that Atiku’s opponents may be at work with a view to checkmate his Presidential ambition in 2015.
Recounting the incident in Kaduna, Atiku’s Media Office said in the statement issued yesterday that policemen at the gate of the former VP’s Unguwar Rimi residence had to call for reinforcement to help them overpower the man. “After his arrest, three copies of the Holy Bible, a rosary and some cash were found on the intruder”, the statement said.
Further investigations at the Unguwar Rimi Police Station in Kaduna, according to the statement, revealed that the man was suspected to be a serving Captain in the Nigerian Army. “This was confirmed by the military authorities. There were, however, indications that the intruder may have deserted the army two months ago”, the statement further said.
It was not immediately clear, however, what the intruder’s motives were but the former Vice President expressed embarrassment at the two events in less than two weeks, the statement stressed. It said further that Atiku was particularly worried whether the events “were a sheer coincidence or something more sinister”.
Some sources told our reporter that the two incidences that followed in quick succession could not be regarded as mere coincidences but “calculated attempts to embarrass and scare” the former Vice-President who is already seen as a formidable aspirant for the Presidency in 2015.
This is also coming at the heels of the schemings to ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s National Chairman is chosen from Adamawa state at the forthcoming National Convention of the party, in moves that are perceived to be aimed at limiting Atiku’s chances of emerging the PDP flag-bearer in 2015.
His political opponents, one of our sources added, were bent on “putting all necessary stumbling blocks on the way of the Turakin Adamawa in a bid to checkmate his rising political profile”.
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