Tompolo Declared Wanted by EFCC
Following his refusal to appear
before a Federal High Court, Lagos over fraud allegation, the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission has declared a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government
Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, wanted.
In an advertorial placed in some
national newspapers and signed by the Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson
Uwujaren, the anti-graft agency said it became necessary to declare Tompolo
wanted because two bench warrants had been issued against him by a Federal High
Court in Lagos.
Before the court, Tompolo was
charged with a N45.9bn fraud by EFCC but he had refused to show up.
Conspicuously, the advertorial
showed Tompolo’s photograph and 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 advert also gave the address of
the wanted man as No. 1, Chief Agbanu Street, DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta
State and added that he speaks both Izon and English languages.
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.
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