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Tompolo’s Father Dies 3 Months After Alleged Brutalization by Soldiers

Published

8 years ago

September 7, 2016

HIGH CHIEF Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo, 84-year-old father of ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, amputated in July, over a month after soldiers allegedly brutalized him in Kurutie, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, is dead.

A dependable source, who broke the news to Vanguard said: “He died in the early hours of Wednesday at Lily Hospital in Warri South local government area, Warri.”

Until his death, he was the Tunteriwei of Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West local government area with traditional headquarters in Oporoza.

Contacted, Chief Executive Officer at Lily Hospital, Dr. Austin Okogun, said he was out of town and could not make a concise statement.

However, a senior medical officer at the hospital, who confirmed the death of Tompolo’s father, declined details of the condition under which he died.

Tompolo, who is still at large, in an open letter, July 22, to President Muhammadu Buhari, bemoaning the siege on his family, said that on May 28, “The military went to Kurutie Town in search of my 84- year-old father and brutalized him.”

“We managed to rescue him to Warri and hospitalized him. Sadly, one of his lower limbs was amputated two weeks ago. From the doctor’s report, it will be a thing of miracle if he survives this incident, “he asked, adding: “Is this 84-years old man also a member of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA.?”

Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has said that it received with shock the demise of Chief Ekpemupolo, father of Chief Government Ekpemupolo in the early hours of Wednesday September 7, 2016 in Warri Delta State.

Spokesperson of the council, Eric Omare, said: “The death is unfortunate and painful, especially considering the fact that he died suffering from the injuries sustained while running from military rampage on Kurutie community, Gbaramatu Kingdom , early this year.

“Indeed, Chief Ekpemupolo is a victim of military unlawful invasion of innocent people and communities of the Niger Delta region in the name of looking for militants. Chief Ekpemupolo has paid the supreme price for the Niger Delta people and cause.

“The IYC sympathizes with the Ekpemupolo family, the Gbaramatu Kingdom and the Ijaw nation on this untimely death. However, the struggle for the betterment of the Niger Delta people continues,” he said.

This came as Tebujor/Okpele-Ama, Ikpokpo, Okerenkoko-Gbene, Opuedebubor, Opuede, Opuendezion, Atanba, Oto-Gbene, Meke-Ama communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, dispatched a Save Our Soul, SOS, to the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, over massive oil spillage in their area.

They said the spillage occurred at the NNPC/PPMC truck-line which passes through the communities on August 17 and had continued to spread since then.

The communities in a letter by Yebrade Moses and others, asserted: “Up to this moment, NNPC and PPMC, owners of the facility have not taken steps to stop the continuous spillage and the consequent damage to fishing nets, properties and the environment. “

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“The villagers, who rely on fishing along the river for survival, can no longer do so as a result of the effects of the oil spillage which has polluted the entire area,” they said.

They added: “Oil spillages have occurred on the same PPMC truck-line due to equipment failure three times in January, April and May. “

According to them: “Instead of PPMC to carry out a proper Joint Investigation Visit comprising of community, company and government representatives, PPMC brought in military men to chase away villagers without carrying out a proper JIV to identify and stop the source of the spill, carryout effective remediation and compensate the affected communities and people. “

The communities, therefore, called on Governor Okowa to prevail on PPMC to carry out a proper JIV to stop further spill, take remediation steps and compensate the affected people and communities.

They requested: “In the interim, relief materials should be provided to the villagers to cushion the immediate effect of the spillage on the people to save them from starvation.”