Militants to Tompolo: Count us out of your ordeal

A militant group, Forest Soldiers (FS) based along the coastal towns of Ikorodu in Lagos state and Arepo/Abule-Oba in Ogun State on Sunday, distanced itself from the resumed hostilities in the Niger-Delta region, allegedly launched by some ex-militants loyal to ex-leader and warlord, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

Rather than supporting the billionaire ex-creek warlord, the FS, in an electronic mail sent to reporters and signed by it leader ‘General’ Ossy (Babawere) urged Tompolo to surrender himself for prosecution and answer corruption charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.

A Federal court had ordered the arrest of the former Niger Delta militant leader’ Government Ekpemupolo on theft and money laundering charges, totalling about N13.2bn.

A warrant of arrest was also issued by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, to compel Tompolo’s attendance in court.

Tompolo is one of the most high-profile former militant leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who commanded thousands of rebels who attacked oil and gas facilities in the oil-rich South, and kidnapped workers until the Amnesty programme was introduced.

He was later awarded lucrative contracts to “provide certain services” to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

It is known that many former militants were awarded government security contracts for oil and gas facilities, as well as pipelines.

However, the militant leader while confirming that Tompolo has sent emissary to him, begging for the support of members of the group to help in wagging war against the Federal Government by resuming bombing activities and pipeline vandalism in the Niger-Delta region, reiterated the group’s readiness to embrace the ongoing Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government which was extended to militant groups in the oil rich Niger-Delta by late President Umaru Yar’adua on October 3, 2009.

According to General Ossy, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led FG then refused to enlist members of Forest Soldiers into the Amnesty programme because of the group’s support for defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Lagos and Ondo states.

We even tried to get enlisted in the 3rd phase of the Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government during former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s regime under the chairmanship of our brother and former Special Adviser, Kingsley Kuku, but all to no avail.

“That was when we decided to relocate to the creeks in Arepo and environs; but the Lagos state government has continued to make life more difficult for us, using security agents to terrorise us and tagged us with many criminal activities in the area.

“Many of us were killed by security operatives inside the creeks, as we lost about ten of our men in a recent attack on our creeks. We are daily living in fear and untold agony.”

The self acclaimed ‘General’ said the group has been playing big brother role to their landlords and residents of the areas by protecting them from the hands of cult guys who had been vandalising, kidnapping, stealing and killing even before the Forest Soldiers took refuge in the area.

He said by the account of the September 16 last year incident at Ishawo area of Ikorodu, members of the group couldn’t have been involved in the land operation that led to the killing of DSS operatives since the activity of the group was confined inside the creeks and not on land where the attack was carried out.

He also drew the attention of security operatives to the criminal activities of some unnamed cult boys who have been terrorising the area, while disguising as militants from the creeks.

“These cultists usually terrorise the area, doing all sorts of criminal activities; but we always lend our helping hands to the landlords and residents by counter attacking the cultists and stopping their ungodly acts.

“We have seized many of their guns, including two double barrel guns, while we rescued a military personnel from them sometime ago and we took the wounded soldier to the hospital for treatment.”

He pleaded with President Buhari to look into their plights as promised during campaigns, and offer them amnesty like their fellow ex-militants from the Niger-Delta to enable them to leave the creeks and join their kinsmen in their respective towns and villages.