Tompolo vows not to apologise to Niger Delta Avengers

Tompolo vows not to apologise
to Niger Delta Avengers


– Tompolo says he will not bend to the
request of Niger Delta Avengers and
apologise
– He insists some APC member are aware
of the attackers
– The Ijaw Youths Council backed Tompolo
on his decision
Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as
Tompolo has vowed that he will not issue
any apology to the Niger Delta Avengers a
new militant group.
Tompolo in an open letter to President
Muhammadu Buhari had denied that he was
responsible for pipeline bombings in the
Niger Delta region. The former militant said
he was not a member of Niger Delta
Avengers, the group that claimed
responsibility for the bombing.
The militant group issued a three-day
ultimatum asking Tompolo to apologise for
denouncing the group or it will bomb a major
pipeline. The threat was carried out on
Friday, May 7 when Chevron’s platform
linking Warri and Kaduna refineries was
bombed.
Vanguard reports that Tompolo who is
wanted by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission spoke through Mr. Paul
Bebenimibo who is his media consultant.
“He (Tompolo) will not apologize to them
(Niger Delta Avengers).”
“If not for his present issues with the Federal
Government, he would have gone after them
and exposed them because they seem to make
things difficult for him, as the government is
pointing fingers at him, but he cannot do
anything in his present situation,” Bebenimibo
said.
He claimed that two prominent Itsekiri and
Ijaw activists, both stalwarts of the All
Progressives Congress “are only looking for
attention from the government, so they use the
happenings to seek relevance from the
government, they may be behind these guys.”
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youths Council threw its
weight behind Tompolo and commended him
for not apologising to the group.
“The Ijaw Youth Council does not see the
justification in the Niger Delta Avengers
embarking on destruction of oil facilities
because Tompolo denounced the group. I
think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming
out to inform the entire world that he was not
part of the Niger Delta Avengers when there
were insinuations to the effect that he was
behind them.”
“As with other cases of attack on oil facilities,
the Niger Delta environment and people are the
ultimate victim and would suffer from these
latest attacks. The IYC believe that irrespective
of the grievances, there are better ways of
expressing them rather than contributing to the
further destruction of the already massively
degraded Niger Delta environment.”
On the fresh directive by President
Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to
crush the militants, the group said: “While
the IYC do not support the attacks on oil
facilities, we hasten to add that it should not
be used as a justification to attack innocent
Niger Delta communities
“The security agencies should go after the real
culprits and not innocent communities and
people in the Niger Delta region. From our
experience, the security personnel in a bid to
impress their superiors and justify the huge
amount of money budgeted for the purpose
always attack innocent communities and
people.”
“This must not be allowed to happen this time
around. We would also advise the federal
government to be prompt in directing security
agencies to deal with insurgent groups all
over the country, including the Fulani
herdsmen, who have been killing innocent
Nigerians just like they have just directed in
respect of the Niger Delta Avengers.