Posted by By OLUWATOYOSI OGUNSEYE on
Officials of the British High Commission in Nigeria can now heave a sigh of relief after living in fear of terrorist attack for a week. It all began when a staff of the Commission started receiving strange e-mails from one unidentified person.
Officials of the British High Commission in Nigeria can now heave a sigh of relief after living in fear of terrorist attack for a week. It all began when a staff of the Commission started receiving strange e-mails from one unidentified person.
A top official said: 'Obviously, the person had applied for a visa and was not given. Under normal circumstances, the ideal thing to do is to re-apply.
My colleague, Caroline Aston, opened her e-mail box and was surprised to find a threatening letter in it. She called the bluff of the sender, but was shocked when she started receiving more of such letters. Then it became unbearable. We notified the Deputy High Commissioner who addressed the staff in Lagos and Abuja.
He told us not to go to the market or any social function. Our lives were like a straight line, that is, from home to church for a whole week. Such letters cannot be ignored because that was how Osama Bin Laden started. The initial warnings are usually subtle but if ignored could be fatal."
When they got tired of being holed up, the Commission notified the Police, who mounted a surveillance at the embassy.
'We mailed the sender and told him to come for his visa. He walked boldly into our office and the police swooped on him. He identified himself as Ayotunde Morakinyo Abiola."
In one of the e-mails made available to Daily Sun, Abiola wrote: 'I'm a spiritist and I will ensure that you are SAAAAAA… If you don't respond IMMMMMMM… EDIATELY."
On December 29, 2004, he had also threatened the life of the officials for not giving him a visa.
He said: 'If you fail to respond to my request, I will take you to the highest invisible parliament in the world tonight and you will regret you ever delayed me. Thus if you love your life, approve my travelling permit IMMEDIATELY."
Ayotunde, who looked very remorseful, said that he took the action in ignorance. He added: 'I am a final year student at the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (ANAAB). I did not know what I was doing. It was not intentional."
He had earlier applied for a visa with reference number A 2516672.