The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission on Thursday declared a former Niger Delta militant leader,
Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, wanted.
The anti-graft agency, in an advertorial
signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said it
decided to declare Tompolo wanted following two bench warrants issued
against him by a Federal High Court in Lagos, where he has been charged
with a N45.9bn fraud.
In the said advertorial, which carried a
photograph of Tompolo, the EFCC described him as a 47-year-old,
dark-complexioned man from Okerenkoko, Gbaramotu Kingdom in the Warri
South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Tompolo, whose address was given as No.
1, Chief Agbanu Street, DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State, speaks both
Izon and English languages, according to EFCC.
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| Tompolo |
The public announcement issued by
Uwujaren read in part, “The general public is hereby notified that
Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Tompolo), whose photograph appears above,
is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in relation to
the offence of conspiracy and illegal diversion of the sum of
N34,000,000,000.00 and N11,900,000,000.00 belonging to the Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.”
Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High
Court in Lagos had issued a bench warrant against Tompolo on January 14
after he shunned a summons dated January 12, 2016 issued by the judge to
appear in connection with the fraud charges filed against him and nine
others by EFCC.
Justice Buba had ordered the law
enforcement agencies to produce Tompolo before him on February 8 for him
to answer the charges, but rather than appear in court on January 8,
Tompolo brought an application seeking to quash the bench warrant and
arrest order.
The judge, who dismissed the application
for lacking in merit, renewed the arrest warrant and directed all law
enforcement agencies to produce Tompolo before him on February 19.
Tompolo’s lawyer, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo
(SAN), after failing to get the bench warrant vacated, turn down the
responsibility of undertaking to produce his client in court.
Oyetibo said it was the responsibility of the prosecution to produce the suspect in court.
The EFCC filed 40 counts against Tompolo
and nine others, including the immediate-past Director-General of
NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.
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