By Wole Mosadomi
Minna — The case of the controversial octogenarian with more than 86 wives and 190 children in Bida, Niger State, Alhaji Bello Masaba, has taken a new dimension as he has raised an alarm over threat to his life and that of members of his family by some faceless people.

He also accused the police, particularly the Area Commander in Bida of not giving him adequate security.
This alarm came few days after most of his wives, children and other family members were denied registration in Bida town during the just concluded voters’ registration exercise.

Speaking with journalists in his Bida home yesterday, Alhaji Masaba said he had been receiving anonymous text messages from different callers threatening to take his life and wipe off members of his family.

He said he was not taking the threat lightly, and that an official letter would be written to the state Commissioner of Police on the development and officially demand for protection.

Alhaji Masaba explained that he had not done anything contrary to the law or infringed on anybody’s territory that could warrant threat to his life and that of members of his family.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Michael Zuokumor, in his reaction, said Police was not aware of threat to Masaba’s life, just as he described the role of the police in the unfolding events as neutral.

In a swift reaction to the allegation, the commissioner told Journalists in his office in Minna yesterday that like any other Nigerian, police has the responsibility to provide adequate security to him and members of his family of which it has been doing.

“Weather he has 100 wives and 190 children has nothing to do with the police as long as he works within the confines of laws of the land. What is paramount to us is that he and members of his family should maintain the law and we will give him like any other law abiding citizen adequate protection”, Mr. Zuokumor remarked.

The commissioner said the state CID has already started investigation into the multiple cases affecting him and some people in Bida saying, “because of the tension which is high in Bida over the issue, the investigation is being carried out in Minna, the state capital and that any of the warring parties will be summoned to Minna when needed”.

Zuokumor however warned residents of Bida to maintain peace especially during this period and that anybody caught trying to breach the peace in the area will be arrested and prosecuted immediately.