N13bn Fraud: Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Tompolo

•Ex DG arrives court in crutches

Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of a former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo (popularly known as Tompolo).
The judge said the warrant had to be issued after Mr. Ekpemupolo failed to respond to invitations to appear before the court.
Government Ekpemupolo has shunned the order of a Federal High Court in Lagos to unconditionally appear yesterday (Thursday) to answer a 40-count of alleged N13bn fraud levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is accusing Tompolo of corruption.
While all his co-accused, including a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, were present in court, only Tompolo failed to appear.
The former DG of NIMASA however arrived at the court in clutches, and aided by his counsel.
Justice Ibrahim Buba has consequently issued a bench warrant on Tompolo and ordered the police to produce him in court by all means.
Tompolo’s co-accused; Akpobolokemi was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of conspiring with others to convert various sums of money.
The 40-count charge include the conversion of N601, 516.13 and $1, 766, 428.62, property of NIMASA, into private concerns; conversion of NIMASA’s N27,690,113.79 and $17, 491, 378.64, as well as another N27, 690,113.79 and $17, 491, 378.64, belonging to the agency to personal use, knowing that the said sums were proceeds of theft, an offence contrary to section 15 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.
Prior to yesterday, Tompolo had refused invitation by the EFCC. Contesting his invitation, Mr. Ekpemupolo said in an earlier statement in December 2015 that the EFCC merely resorted to “self-help” after failing to appear before a court in an earlier case he filed against the anti-graft agency.
Mr. Ekpemupolo said he went to court after the commission froze his company’s accounts since August 2015.
He said if there were questions regarding the contracts awarded to him, they should be directed to the federal government bodies that approved and awarded them.