Keyamo threatens legal action against IGP over Tompolo

Lagos-based lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has issued a three-day ultimatum to Sulaiman Abba, the inspector-general of police, to prosecute Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.

This would be the third time within two weeks that Keyamo would be commenting on Tompolo.

In two open letters, the lawyer urged the police boss to investigate a death threat on him from the militant leader and also asked the president to caution Tompolo.

However, this time, Keyamo threatened to legal action against the police boss if he does not act within three days.

Tompolo had allegedly masterminded the abduction of 10 persons, including some journalists, who had gone to investigate the cancellation of a project that the president was supposed to inaugurate at Ogidigben, Delta state, on Friday.

“It is disgusting to all men of normal minds to see a private citizen strut all over the place, threatening lives, abducting citizens, (perhaps silently killing voiceless persons) and you hide your heads in the sand,” he wrote.

“Yet, he moves about with nearly a whole platoon of Army and security personnel that even a serving Governor cannot get. What is going on?

“On their way from Ogidingben after their assignments, the seven escorts and the journalists were stopped in their boats and blocked by more than 10 other boats loaded with fierce-looking and armed hooligans around an area called Tebujo, which is also near an area called Opuraja.

“The cameras of the journalists were all seized and the memory cards were removed so that they could not show what they went to cover.

“It took the intervention of highly-placed persons who were begging Tompolo before he grudgingly directed that they be released late in the evening of that Sunday to the naval and army personnel in the area.

“Sirs, your failure to simply carry out your statutory duties of arrest, investigation and prosecution of Tompolo for his various acts of lawlessness is now a national and an international embarrassment to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“TAKE NOTICE that if within 72 hours of the receipt of this petition you fail, refuse and/or neglect to invite/arrest, investigate and perhaps prosecute Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) for the threat to my life and the attempted murder of these seven escorts and the journalists, I will be proceeding to court to compel you to do your duties under the law.”