WARRI – Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI has called on the federal Government to pay a reparation for the death of the father of MEND former leader, Chief Government Ekpomupolo aka Tompolo whose father died during military attacks, after a dangerous injury he sustained while trying to escape from invading soldiers, September, last year.
Meanwhile, former MEND leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo has earlier threatened to revenge his father’s death, Chief Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo ,the Tuntereowei of Gbaramatu kingdom, vowed his father’s killers would not go unpunished.
The National executive President of IPDI Comr Ozobo Austin, speaking through his special media assistant Mrs Izuongere Iwolo, during the one year remembrance ceremony had alleged that Tompolo’s father died after he was brutalized by the military who invaded the kingdom in search of militants about a year ago.
Ozobo lamented ‘‘The brutal killing of Tompolo’s father, Chief Thomas Osen Ekpemupolo, the Tuntereowei of Gbaramatu kingdom on September 7, 2016 by the military who invaded Okurutie in search of Niger Delta Avengers. The military should apologize to Thomas family and pay compensation for the death of Tompolo’s father to appease the bereaved family’’
He said that it was irrational and abysmal to have marked Tompolo as state enemy by President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime because of his open support for his kinsmen, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson in the 2016 Bayelsa State Gubernatorial election; a move presumed as against the anointed APC candidate of the Federal Government, Chief Timipre Sylva.
According to IPDI Boss ‘‘Tompolo was an innocent of all false and malicious accusations levelled against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria and defended tha Tompolo is not the brain behind the then unrest in Niger Delta Region.
The group further told EFCC to withdraw every charge levelled against Tompolo, including the 13billion malicious charges and the purported arrest warrant for the sake of peace and mutual coexistence.
