45.9bn fraud, Ex-militant Tompolo wanted

A former Niger Delta militant leader,
Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, was
on February 11 declared wanted by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC). This was contained in an advertorial signed
by the anti-graft agency head of media and
publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, the Punch reports.
Uwujaren explained that the decision was
taken after Tompolo turned down two bench
warrants issued against him by a Federal
High Court in Lagos following charges
bordering on N45.9bn fraud.
The EFCC in the advertorial, which had a
picture of Tompolo 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.
The agency in the advertorial gave Tompolo’s
address as No. 1, Chief Agbanu Street, DDPA
Extension, Warri, Delta state, and also
informed that he speaks both Izon and
English language.
“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,” the
advertorial read.
Tompolo is declared
wanted in a case of conspiracy, illegal
diversion of N34 billion, 11 billion and 900
million belonging to the Nigerian maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
A Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over
by Justice Ibrahim Buba, on January 14
issued a bench warrant against the former
militant leader after he refused to show up
before the court on January 12, 2016 to
answer the fraud charges leveled against him
and nine others by the anti-graft agency.
The high court justice had earlier ordered the
law enforcement agencies to produce
Tompolo before him on February 8, but the
former militant leader instead of appear
before the court on January 8, filed an
application seeking to vacated the bench
warrant and arrest order.
Justice Buba threw out the application for
lacking in merit and renewed the arrest
warrant. He then ordered all the security
agencies to make sure they bring Tompolo to
the court on February 19.
Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), counsel to the now
wanted Tompolo after a failed effort to quash
the bench warrant, argued that it was not his
duty to produce his client in court rather it
was the responsibility of the prosecution
counsel to produce the suspect in court for
trial.
Tompolo and the immediate past Director-
General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, as
well as others are slammed with a 40 counts
of fraudulent activities.