Human rights activist and lawyer in Warri, Mr. Festus Keyamo, have alleged that ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has threatened to kill him.
It’s a lie, says Tompolo. However, Tompolo’s Media Adviser, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, swiftly denied the allegation, saying his boss, after reading Keyamo’s letter to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan over Warri South-West Local Govern-ment Area polls, “called him to say he should stop dragging his name into the matter.”
In a petition to the Director General, Department of State Services, DSS, and Inspector General of Police, Keyamo claimed Tompolo called him at exactly 10.30p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, and warned that he and his boys would kill him over his letter to Governor Uduaghan, calling for justice over the alleged substitution of the duly nominated PDP chairmanship candidate, Mr. Weyimi Omadeli, for Tompolo’s brother, Mr. George Ekpemupolo, in last Saturday’s council polls.
The petition read: “At exactly 10:13p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, I received a telephone call from one Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) with phone number 08027721208.
“We have been acquaintances in the past, so I know his numbers. After reaffirming that he is Tompolo when I picked his call, he went straight to the point by informing me that he wishes to inform me that he and his “boys” will kill me by beating me to death or shooting me anywhere they can find me.
‘His words’
“And that the hunt for me is on. His exact words in pidgin English was ‘We dey look for you. Anywhere we see you, whether for Lagos or Abuja or Warri, we go beat you die or we go shoot you’.
“He said he would kill me because I have decided to take up the matter involving his blood brother, Mr. George Ekpemupolo, who was used to illegally substitute another candidate, Mr. Weyinmi Omadeli, 48 hours to the election, in the Warri South-West elections that were concluded last Saturday in Delta State.
“He said no one has ever challenged his authority in Delta State.
“I asked Tompolo five times whether, he was, in fact, threatening my life over an open line and he said nobody in the country can do anything about it by the time I am dead. Co-incidentally, exactly three minutes after Tompolo dropped his line, Governor Uduaghan called me. I reported to him what just transpired between Tompolo and myself.
“The governor promised to speak with him, but that cannot be reassuring enough, and I know the remedy in law against an intended murderer is not to beg him but to ignite the criminal justice system against him, no matter how comatose that system is.
“I’m an ordinary citizen’
“I know the subject of this petition, Tompolo, is a favoured citizen of this government, and I am not. I know Tompolo is close to those in power at the moment, whereas I am an ordinary citizen.
“I know Tompolo has money and influence, which are factors that are widely acknowledged to aid a suspect walk away with murder in Nigeria. But I have none of these. I know Tompolo has instrument to kill human beings, and I have none.
“In the circumstance, I am making this petition public so that when you refuse to attend to my complaint and outcry, the ordinary people of this country will, at least, know from where my death came and I will not join the long list of unresolved murders. My killer, should, at least be known.”
It is a lie, Tompolo’s media aide
Dismissing Keyamo’s allegation, Tompolo’s media aide Mr. Bebenimibo said: “Tompolo called him to ask him why he is dragging him into a matter that he had no hand in because Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is a political party and anything concerning the party should be discussed with the governor, who is the leader of party.”
He confirmed that Keyamo had called Tompolo several times in the past, requesting him to buy some property, but his boss told him he had no money to buy property.
Bebenimibo said: “Why should Tompolo threaten Keyamo? What for? Tompolo only told him to stop dragging his name into what he knows nothing about.”
