Tompolo: Ijaw Youths Warn President Buhari Against Tribal Witch-hunting
22nd Jan. 2016
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has warned President Muhammadu Buhari and the federal government against witch-hunting a former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, who was charged with theft and money laundering.
According to the group, the prosecution of Tompolo, which is a part of Buhari’s anti-corruption war, is singling out their ethnic group.
Speaking with journalists, Eric Omare, the spokesman of IYC, said:
“Our position is that due process should be followed. We support an anti-corruption war that is done within the ambit of the law.
“We seriously oppose selective prosecution and political victimisation.”
Last week, suspected ex-militants reportedly blew up a gas pipeline in Warri South-West local government of Delta state. The attack happened barely hours after a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered security operatives to arrest Tompolo.
Commenting on the incident, Omare stressed that the IYC condemned such vandalism. However, he also claimed that the military had invaded several Ijaw communities in Delta state, destroying properties and causing injuries.
“The Ijaw people are not at war with the federal government. We call on the military to exercise restraint in their actions. There is no basis to attack innocent villagers,” he said.
Ramsey Mukoro, another former militant leader, added: “None of us is happy with what is happening to Tompolo and other Ijaw people who served under Jonathan. It is a tribal witch-hunt.”
PM News reports that residents of the Southern Ijaw region of Bayelsa state are worried that prosecution of Tompolo and others could influence people to disobey lawful orders.
Ebi Hitler, an Ijaw resident in Yenagoa, is also warned of a return to insecurity, which severely dented Nigeria’s crude output.
“What is currently going on is not prosection but persecution of Ijaws. It is very provocative and the government should realise that there is a limit to everything,” he said.
Earlier this week, the Niger Deltan Patriotic Alliance warned the federal government and the All Progressives Congress to desist from what it called “the harassment” of Tompolo.
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