former
Niger Delta warlord, Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo yesterday
accused President Muhammadu Buhari of ignorance about the situation
of things in the oil producing region.
He
said the APC-led Federal Government was only interested in the region’s oil and
not the wellbeing of its people.
Tompolo,
in his latest open letter to Buhari, also accused the President of unfair
treatment, alleging molestation of his 84-year-old father, Chief Thompson
Ekpemupolo, who he said had lost a lower limb to amputation following an
encounter he had with soldiers who invaded Kurutie, Warri South West
Local Government Area, in May.
He
urged the President to take keener interest in the affairs of the region and
investigate allegations against him instead of judging him by what politicians
say.
He
said: “As it stands now, you are not abreast with things happening in this part
of the country.
Perhaps you are only abreast with crude oil
exploration activities in the Niger Delta region.
“I
do not need to remind Your Excellency that the primary duty of any
government is to seek after the welfare and security of the citizenry.”
On
his father’s travails, he said: “The military went to Kurutie town in search of
my 84-year-old father and brutalised him. We managed to rescue him to Warri and
hospitalised him.
“Sadly,
one of his lower limbs was amputated two weeks ago. From the doctor’s report,
it will be a miracle if he survives this incident.
“Is
this 84-year-old man also a member of the Niger Delta Avengers, that he was
brutalised to the point of death?
“Will
your Excellency accept this in good faith if this was done to your father or
someone of this age in your family?
“I
have not heard of anyone that was treated like this even in the volatile North
Eastern part of the country.”
Tompolo,
who is wanted to stand trial for corruption-related charges, dwelt on the
allegations against him and urged the President to deploy his trusted aides to
the area to ascertain the true state of affairs.
He
hinted that the issue of his alleged fraud was being used as a tool of
blackmail and political vendetta, stressing that if the president took time
to investigate the matter, the truth would be revealed.
He
added: “I have been wondering since the beginning of my travails at your
instance, and I wish to ask whether, is this part of the fight against
corruption in Nigeria? Or was it because I supported my kinsman, former
president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections?
“I
thought everyone in Nigeria has the liberty to support whoever he or she deemed
fit in an election.
“And
as Dr Jonathan bravely accepted the outcome of the election, which brought you
in as President of Nigeria today, I thought you will heal wounds as the father
of the nation. And it was on this premise that I visited you immediately after
your swear-in ceremony to pledge my loyalty and readiness to work with your
administration.
“I
am yet to be told the reason for all these shenanigans exhibited by your
security agencies and party members.
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