SAN FRANCISCO, February 12, (THEWILL) – BEVERLY HILLS, February 12, (THEWILL) – Consequent upon the two arrest warrants already issued against him by a Federal High Court in Lagos, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday declared a former Niger Delta militant commander, Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, wanted.
In a newspaper advertorial signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, which bore the 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, is said by the EFCC to speak both Izon and English languages.
Noting that the former GOC of MEND is wanted in a case of conspiracy, illegal diversion of N34 billion and 11billion, 900 million belonging to the Nigerian maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, the commission urged the public to offer useful information on his whereabouts.
A part of the public announcement reads, “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.”
It would be recalled that the anti-graft agency had dragged Tompolo and nine others, including the immediate-past Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, before the court on a 40 count-charge over a N45.9bn fraud.
On January 14, Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos issued a bench warrant against Tompolo 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.
The judge 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 filed an application seeking to quash the bench warrant and arrest order.
Justice Buba however dismissed the application for lacking in merit and renewed the arrest warrant, directing all law enforcement agencies to produce Tompolo before him on February 19.
But after failing to get the bench warrant vacated, Tompolo’s lawyer, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo SAN turn down the responsibility of undertaking to produce his client in court, saying it was the responsibility of the prosecution to produce the suspect in court.
