A’Ibom Resident Commissioner Raises the Alarm over Threat to Life
About a month after the conduct of the general election in the country, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Austin Okojie, yesterday raised the alarm that his life was under threat.
Unfortunately, the threat is not from politicians or political parties but from a security staff with the commission who reportedly levelled bogus allegations including walloping funds that were meant for the staff of the commission.
Okojie made the threat on him public yesterday during an emergency meeting with the staff of the commission in his office along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.
According to him, the threats always came through anonymous phone calls and text messages at nights where the said security staff promised to exterminate him if he failed to comply with the order to pay him an undisclosed amount within the week.
Following the threat, he said fears have totally griped him because of the unknown, discomfort and danger to his life and members of his family; hence, the emergency to alert the other staff of the danger his life has been subjected.
He said: “My life is now in serious danger so also the lives of members of my family because of these threats. I can no longer move freely as any other loyal citizen of this country.”
Okojie said it was surprising that his life and those of members of his family could be made miserable through threats by someone he was not indebted to and never discussed with or negotiated any deal with officially and unofficially as all the allowances and claims due every staff and ad-hoc staff had since been paid.
He solicited the cooperation of the security agencies in the state to investigate the character behind the threats for possible prosecution.
The REC said if such dangerous elements are allowed to walk the streets of the state freely, many innocent lives would be rendered uncomfortable and endangered.
The REC further confirmed the development on telephone with THISDAY, saying the culprit had been arrested by the men of the Department of the State Security (DSS) when he was out to execute the plan.
Okojie said the state Commissioner of Police had been contacted and briefed on the issue while plans are on for security to be beefed up around him, office and family members.