November 26, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been asked to be cautious in engaging Niger Delta militant, Chief Government Ekpemukpolo in pipeline protection in the Niger Delta.
President Tinubu was urged to focus on professional security companies in the Niger-Delta who are genuinely committed to the protection of oil pipelines instead of funding armed groups that constitute a threat to National Security.
In a statement issued on Monday, the National Coalition of Civil Society Groups, (NACCSG), a coalition of 95 civil society groups spread across Nigeria said there are widespread fear that a particular militant in the Niger Delta is using proceeds of pipeline protection to import illicit weapons into the country.
The group said the militant has the preconceived plan to divide Nigeria through armed conflict that would start from the Niger-Delta.
The group said a particular militant is currently involved in high calibre bribery of top government officials including some members of the National Assembly in order to perpetrate himself and sustain his armed dominion in the Niger-Delta.
The group said it is preparing a letter to the President and to all members of the National Assembly to expose the militant’s crime against Nigerians and the people of the Niger Delta.
The group regretted that a particular militant continues to enjoy the protection of a few armed soldiers with a full truck load of soldiers.
The group also accused a former Governor of Bauchi state for collaborating with the armed militant.
‘We have been informed that a militant’s aide, one Mathew is currently in Abuja with loads of money to cover the tracks of the Niger-Delta militant. He is also offering huge sum of money to some corrupt officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company PLC and some corruption people in the Presidency,’ the group said in a statement signed by its President Dr Okunola Ahmed and Secretary, Balla Usman Aliu.
The group alleged that Tolla is the militant’s sibling and holds the cash portfolio on behalf of the militant where money is distributed to politicians to influence pipeline protection contracts in his favour and to cover up his crimes in the Niger-Delta.
The coalition asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) to revisit the trial of Tomopolo.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has been asked to arrest and prosecute Chief Government Ekpomokpolo (alias Tompolo) for various crimes ranging from to corruption and terrorism.
The coalition recalled that in February 2026, the EFCC had declared Government Ekpemupolo wanted following two bench warrants issued by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
He was charged with N45.9bn fraud. The EFCC had announced to the whole world that he committed offences of conspiracy, illegal diversion of the sum of N34,000.000.000.00 and another N11,900,000.00 belonging to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety, (NIMASA).
The group recalled that Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos had issued a bench warrant against Tompolo on January 14, 2016 after he neglected a dated January 12 summon issued to him by the Honourable Judge.
The Judge had asked him to appear before the Court and had ordered that he be arrested and produced by security agents by February 08 to answer the charges. Though Tompolo brought an application to quash the bench warrant and the order for his arrest, but the application was dismissed for lack of merit.
The Judge then renewed the arrest warrant. As we speak, Tompolo has continued to disregard the Order of the Court of law and has been emboldened to continue with his criminal activities.
The offences committed by Tompolo are contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and were liable to punishment under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
The coalition said in the statement that the ‘The EFCC should save the country from a crime ring led by Mr Tompolo. While he claims to be protecting oil pipelines, he has been linked to a series of heinous crimes being perpetrated by his criminal gang which includes money laundering and proliferation of arms’ the group said, citing the recent killings of 16 soldiers, including a Lt.Colonel in Okuoma.
The group said ‘Tomopolo is a leopard that will never change his colour. The Federal Government cannot be held to ransom by a single individual who on many occasions has made it clear that all he wanted was to break up Nigeria. We call on the Federal Government to launch intensive investigations to the activities of Tompolo in the Niger-Delta to save the region and the country at large from large scale violence that his group has been planning to unleash on the country any moment from now.’
The group said instead of engaging Tompolo, the Federal Government should engage genuine representatives of the people of the Niger Delta whose lives have on several occasions been threatened and endangered by Tompolo and his armed groups.
