N13bn fraud: Ijaws condemn latest court order to arrest Tompolo

Ijaws in Niger Delta Tuesday condemned in its entirety the renewed order by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for arrest of High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo aka Tompolo, saying that his lawyer has unveiled to the court the legal blunders the prosecution made when it applied for the bench warrant.

In an online statement by the National President of the Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade, Alaowei Cleric (Esq), the Ijaws also appealed to the Federal Government to refrain from interfering in the court proceedings while the legal process continues.
The statement reads: “The continued threat to arrest Chief Government Ekpemukpolo aka Tompolo by the Federal Government even when he has shown concern to appear in the court in our view has political undertones. The duty of a prosecutor is to see that justice is done in any given case and not the conviction of its assailant. Tompolo has shown great concern as a law-bidding citizen to appear in the court by engaging a Senior Advocate for his defence. We expect that the government at this time will relax its action and allow the normal cause of 
the proceedings to take its course.

“Much as we respect the decision of the court, we feel that the court blinded its eyes to the submissions of Tompolo’s lawyer.

“Those who take delight to ensure his arrest will not have anything to gain if he is arrested today. The offences for which he is being charged with are not capital offenses and so people should not think that arresting him will cause any damage to his reputation. 

Tompolo like every other Nigerians is not above the law but what the government is doing is more of persecution than the prosecution it is supposed to be pursuing.”