Alleged N56BIlion Fraud at NIMASA: Police IG says ‘We can’t find Tompolo’

Even though the EFCC have declared him wanted and the Federal High Court in Lagos has also ordered his arrest and appearance in Court, the Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase has declared that his men are still searching everywhere for ex-Niger Delta militant; Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.
Tomopolo was declared wanted by the EFCC in connection with a N45.9b fraud in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
The IGP spoke in Abuja during a session with journalists.
Arase said: “We are still looking for Tompolo. The commissioners of police in Delta, Rivers and all those areas have been given the warrant for the arrest so that they could carry out the arrest.
“The EFCC has declared him wanted and you know the court has issued a warrant of arrest. So, it is the duty of the EFCC to publish him as a wanted person and it is our duty to ensure the arrest.
And apparently emboldened, Tompolo told President Muhammadu Buhari to stop playing with fire that will plunge the nation into armed conflict following the deployment of armed soldiers in the Niger Delta communities and the search for him.
He said the deployment of soldiers particularly in Gbamaratu community is annoying and urge the president to unconditionally withdraw soldiers from the region without further delay.
Angry Tompolo said if the soldiers deployed in the communities are there to effect his arrest, and that it is a sheer waste of time because it is a mission impossible that would escalate into conflict in the end.
He stated: “I have been doing legitimate business with the government over the years. I don’t know which law stipulates how to do business or otherwise. If the federal government has any issue with me, they should go through the due process”.
“You can’t send soldiers to destroy a community, arrest young men and rape women in the name of searching for Tompolo. If they claim that everybody in the Ijaw land is a criminal, does it also mean that everybody in the north is a member of Boko Haram?
He urged President Buhari to heed the voice of reason now before the situation gets out of hand by withdrawing troops from Niger Delta communities who are reportedly committing atrocities in the area ranging from harassment, arresting of young men, raping of women in the communities and other crimes. This, he warned, is capable of creating tension and resulting in armed conflict.