‘I have nothing to do with N34bn fraud,’ Ex-militant says

Former militant, Government “Tompolo” Ekpemupolo has denied allegations of fraud levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Tompolo is alleged to have committed the fraud along with former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) boss, Patrick Akpobolokemi.

The former militant is said to have made the denial in an open letter written to President Muhammadu Buhari and obtained by The Nation.

“The truth of the matter is that I do not know anything about the N34 billion Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is talking about. First, it was N13 billion issue, now it is N34 billion,” he wrote.

“I am not a signatory to any of the companies mentioned in the said N34 billion case, so I do not know where this one is coming from. I know that God in His infinite mercy will see me through in this critical moment.

“They (APC members) are the ones carrying out the act to smear my name. They are doing this in connivance with the EFCC lawyer, who is also a member of your party, who is in the forefront of prosecuting me because I refused to buy a property from him.

“As for the EFCC lawyer, he approached me some years back that I should come to Abuja and Lagos to buy some choice property worth billions of naira from him. I told him that I do not have such money to buy property.

“Since then he has been looking for any opportunity to drag me into matters I do not know anything about. And this is one of the reasons why I have not appeared in the court because he is not qualified to prosecute me,” he added.

An order for Tompolo’s arrest was issued by a Federal High Court in Lagos after he failed to appear before it to face the charges against him.