BREAKING NEWS:
Tompolo Seeks Asylum in Libya…Opens Discussion with Angola, Algeria, Morocco as Alternate Plan
*Secret Discussion with Niger Delta Avengers Revealed
*Details of How he Escaped Nigeria by Road to Libya Exposed
*PLUS his Fresh Demand for Peace to Reign in Niger Delta
BY MUSTAPHA RILWAN/SPECIAL CRIME REPORTER, TRIPOLI
GOVERNMENT Ekpemupolo, 45 year old who was once a commander in various guerrilla groups in the Niger Delta and one of the founders of Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) presently have no peace of mind in Libya, as he is doing all his possible best to seek asylum in the country in a bid to escape prosecution in the hands of Nigerian government for his various crimes against the nation.
Tamuno Kigobi, an insider in MEND told this correspondent that Tompolo disguised under the cover of darkness some days ago, traveled by road from Niger Republic to Libya, ‘bribing’ customs, border police and every other security agents he had contacts with, as Nigerian military had continuously been attacking most hideouts of militants in Baylesa and Delta states, coupled with various moves made by undercover operatives to turn him in at all cost.
Feelers reached Tompolo that except he escaped from his underground bunker in Delta, he may eventually be killed in attack or captured by Nigerian military to face trial. “Tompolo earlier hid himself in one of the strongest underground fortress in Delta State. He knew that going by the manner consistent attacks were coming from Nigerian military, it was only a matter of time before he would be captured or killed. He did the needful by escaping through Niger Republic to Libya in the odd hours of the night. He settled (bribed) every security agents he met along the way, and no one disturbed him, since he spends United States dollars like water,” explained Tamuno.
Tamuno squealed that Tompolo before his escape made top VIPs in Libya his friends whom always engaged him in various discussion on arms purchase, war boat acquisition from where the most wanted fugitive bought all the hardware, ammunition, war boat his firm earlier used for surveillance on Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) water-ways to checkmate crime activities by pirates.
This same Libyan armed group who supplies Tompolo and MEND arms equipments are the ones that are housing him in Tripoli, assuring him they will ensure he gets asylum status, since he is ready to ‘bribe’ every Libyan official in their Immigration and Home Office section.
This position was confirmed by Tamuno, one of the former militants with MEND earlier granted amnesty by Nigeria’s late President Musa Yar’Adua by saying: “Tompolo is a multi-millionaire. He is very wealthy. On that trip to Libya, he had on him various debit cards and undisclosed huge sums of money in foreign currency. Libyan government would surely grant him asylum. If they fail, Tompolo already told his MEND Regional Commanders in Nigeria before he traveled to Libya that he would open discussion with Algerian, Angolan and Moroccan governments on asylum acquisition. I heard that Tompolo is doing all he can to avoid arrest, deportation and prosecution in Nigeria.”
Secret Discussion with Niger Delta Avengers Revealed
Unpublished, Tompolo had in 96 hours before he fled Nigeria to Libya, Tamuno said “Tompolo had secret meeting with Niger Delta Avengers and reached a compromise that the militant group should keep blowing all oil installations in Niger Delta purposely to ground Nigeria’s economy under the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari for daring to order his arrest just because he diverted N35.1billion based on his contract with NIMASA. Have you wondered how Niger Delta Avengers acquire modern war equipments for guerrilla warfare?
“Tompolo took them through the routes on arms importation. I can tell you that other parts of agreements Tompolo reached with them are: to ensure that they (Niger Delta Avengers) did not ceasefire or agree to any peace deal except all charges against all Niger Delta natives are dropped, amnesty given thereafter. Still parts of the deal is for Niger Delta Avengers to denounce MEND, Tompolo, all to distract the Nigerian government so they will not know the truth.”
This position was conveyed to Niger Delta governors and was agreed that same will be communicated to the Federal Government that all corrupt cases earlier instituted against any son of Niger Delta should be discarded.
Confirming this stance, some hours ago, Governors of the South-South region met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House today to request for the majority of corruption cases in the region to be dropped by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a meeting attended by the governors of Edo, Ondo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Abia states, as well as the deputy governor of Cross River state.
As at the time of filling in this report, we called Nigeria Embassy in Tripoli located in Shara’a Narjis, Hai Al-Zuhoor to get the reaction of the Consular, their two phone lines: +218-21-4443036 and
+218-21-4443037 rang endlessly, as it was not picked up for over 30 minutes.
