Tompolo Replies Kokori, Says Matter Before a Law Court

Former Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo, has flayed former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, for charging him to come out of hiding and face his trial over alleged financial offences.

Kokori had on Saturday challenged Ekpemupolo to come out of his hiding and face the EFCC in the court to prove his inno­cence in his ongoing trial by the agency over an ava­lanche of financial crimes.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Media Ad­viser and Consultant, Paul Bebenimibo, Tompolo described Kokori’s call as “an unwarranted out­burst” designed to curry the favour of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “Our atten­tion has been drawn to the above headline in one of the national dailies on Saturday that High Chief Government Ekpemupo­lo, alias Tompolo, should come out of his hiding and face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). And this statement was made by an All Progres­sives Congress (APC) chieftain in Delta State, Kokori. We have imag­ined why the APC leader decided to make such a statement like other APC leaders in the past at this time, on a matter that is before a law court.

“Ordinarily, we would have ignored Kokori like others if not for intel­ligence information we gathered from a clan­destine meeting held by this group of persons on how to implicate Tom­polo in a planned act of pipeline destruction in the Niger Delta region. We have been made to understand that these APC leaders are out there to get favour from President Buhari by way of appointments and empowerment with the issue of Tompolo and EFCC.