Adelani Adepegba
Following the refusal of a former Niger
Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as
Tompolo, to appear in court to face trial for alleged corruption,
security agencies have mounted surveillance at the airports as part of
strategies to apprehend him.
It was learnt that security personnel at
the airports, including operatives of the Department of State Services
and Nigeria Immigration Service had been directed to look out for
Tompolo, following reports that he planned to flee the country.
Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High
Court in Lagos had ordered the arrest of the ex-militant leader for his
failure to appear before him to answer 30 counts of alleged N34bn
fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission had charged Tompolo and a former Director-General of the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick
Akpobolokemi, alongside eight others for N34bn fraud.
Buba had issued a bench warrant against
Tompolo and ordered that he must be produced in court on February 8,
2016 “by all means to answer the charges,” but Tompolo was not arrested
by the police which claimed that they were not served the court order.
When the matter came up in court on
February 8, Tompolo also failed to show up, prompting the judge to
re-issue the order for the ex-militant’s arrest.
The court last Thursday granted the
prayer of the EFCC to seize Tompolo’s assets following the inability of
security agencies to apprehend the fugitive.
As part of moves to arrest him, police
personnel had combed the Bayelsa creeks in search of the former militant
leader, who was believed to have gone underground to evade prosecution.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, said the police were still searching for Tompolo.
“The police are working very hard and
professionally too to arrest him as ordered by the court,” the police
spokesperson said in an SMS on Saturday.
The Immigration Service Public Relations
Officer, Ekpedeme King, could not be reached for comments as his phone
was switched off.
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