Tompolo begs for stop to invasion of his community denying Niger Delta Avengers!

Tompolo arrest.Wanted ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a.Tompolo, on Sunday denied sponsoring the Niger Delta Avengers while pleading with them to cease fire.

The 45 year old ex militant also condemned  last Saturday’s invasion of his home and Gbaramatu communities by the military in the name of searching for him and members of the NDA,making it clear he wast hiding in the community.

In an appeal letter to members of the dreaded militant group, he said

“I still maintain that I know nothing about your group and the destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger Delta region.That notwithstanding, for the love of country and out of patriotism, I wish to appeal to you once again to stop the bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, and embrace the path of dialogue with the Federal Government of Nigeria, as the government is ready to hear you out on whatever issues you wish to discuss with it.

“You guys know that I do not know you and how to reach you, except through the mass media. If truly as you guys claimed that you are fighting for the well-being of the people of the Niger Delta, then you must adhere to this appeal, otherwise, the world will label you as criminals.-Come to think of the consequences of your actions in the region so far, particularly as it affects me and the people of Gbaramatu kingdom. Just yesterday (Saturday), the Nigerian Army invaded the ancestral headquarters of the kingdom, Oporoza town, under the guise of looking for members of your group, particularly me, who they have wickedly linked to your group, and unleashed mayhem on the innocent people of the community,”“And this happened in my absence as I am currently out of Gbaramatu kingdom, but what I gathered from some of the victims of the Army invasion is unspeakable. Even pots of soup were not spared. The Army has massively looted resident homes, desecrated traditional places of worship, committed sacrilege, abominations and what have you"

Tompolo Biography. 
Government Ekpemupolo Tompolo, was born in 1971 to a royal family Okerenoko in the traditional Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State. Ekpemupolo had his basic education at Okepopo Primary School in Warri. His early life was just like that of any regular growing boy until he began to notice the unethical marginalisation of his people from the benefits accruing from the production of oil which was drilled from his own community.
In 1993, Ekpemupolo dropped out of college and joined a resistance group in the Niger Delta. In 1998, Ekpemupolo joined the newly formed Ijaw Youth Council and became a well respected member. Since there was very little progress in the Ijaw Youth Council Ekpemupolo joined the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. Ekpemupolo's invitation to Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF) to take refuge in Delta state in 2005 helped precipitate the formation of MEND soon afterwards. Ekpemupolo quickly rose to a high commander in MEND and with his vast wealth he was able to supply MEND with large amounts of weapons and new equipment.

Ekpemupolo was in command of thousands of militants and was very successful in attacking the insensitivity of the government and the Multinational oil companies to the exploitation and degradation of the peoples and environments of the Niger Delta. During his time as a guerrilla commander, he, under the auspices of MEND was able to drive the Nigerian government to grant amnesty to MEND members who decided to surrender. Ekpemupolo was granted full amnesty as well as all of his men when he embraced the amnesty offer on the Federal Government of Nigeria under president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua on June 27, 2009.