Political Briefs
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THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday, February 11, declared Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, a former Niger Delta militant leader, wanted.
The EFCC, in an advertorial signed by Wilson Uwujaren, its head of media and publicity, said it decided to declare Tompolo wanted following two bench warrants issued against him by a federal high court in Lagos, where he has been charged with a N45.9bn fraud.
The anti-graft in the advertorial, which carried a photograph 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.
Tompolo, whose address was given as No. 1, Chief Agbanu Street, DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State, speaks both Izon and English languages, according to EFCC.
The EFCC, declared him wanted “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, Lagos had issued a bench warrant against Tompolo on January 14, after he shunned a summon dated January 12, 2016, issued by the judge to appear in connection with the fraud charges filed against him and nine others by EFCC.
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.
The judge, who dismissed the application for lacking in merit, renewed the arrest warrant and directed all law enforcement agencies to produce Tompolo before him on February 19.
— Feb 22, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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