Freezing of Tompolo’s accounts barbaric, unlawful, Ijaw group tells FG

Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, a nongovernmental organization in Delta State, Tuesday, criticized the freezing of accounts of two companies allegedly owned by ex-Niger militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as an act of lawlessness.

IPDI in a statement by the national president, Mr. Austin Ozobo, contended that the federal government duly awarded contracts to the companies and Tompolo neither breached the contracts nor abandoned them to warrant freezing of the accounts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, reportedly froze the accounts of Mieka Divers Limited and Global West Vessels Limited, purportedly linked with fraudulent activity in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, under its ex-director general, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi.

The group, however, stated, “The freezing of Tompolo’s accounts by the federal government is barbaric, unlawful and obnoxious because Tompolo is not under any investigation. As a matter of fact, Tompolo is not under any investigation; therefore, there is no reason for his accounts to be frozen.”

“Tompolo was just a contractor and the said contracts are ongoing, there was no case of abandonment of the said contracts. The contracts were legally awarded, there was no case of breach, the point is that Buhari should have respect for the law, he should maintain decorum,” it added.

IPDI said, “What is within the purview of the law is either execution or revocation of the contract and not freezing of the contractor’s account. Even in the case of contravention, the contractor has nothing to answer, except the institution that awarded the contract, what Buhari is doing is a witch hunt and declaration of war against the Niger-Delta people.”