Tompolo and President Muhammadu Buhari
heheheeh.......This
report tends to capture the intrigues of Buhari's tumultous
relationship with the former Niger Delta warlord, Tompolo who has
remained elusive.
From London where he is vacationing, President Muhammadu Buhari,
last week, extended a lifeline to founder of the moribund Movement for
the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, High Chief Government
Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.
Tompolo, also the former General Officer Commanding, GOC, MEND, and
Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw nation, visited President Buhari few months into
his administration in Abuja and assured him of his co-operation, but
events later on, especially the bombing of pipelines by militants and
hunt for the ex-militant leader over alleged sleaze, not only put a
wedge between them, but compelled Tompolo to go into hiding until date.
From hiding, former warlord, who is also the chief priest of Egbesu
goddess in his native Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West local
government area, Delta State, decried, last year, the desecration by
Nigerian soldiers of the deity and their disapperance with the golden
sword (ark of Egesu goddess) which is the symbol of office of the
traditional ruler of the kingdom, kept in his custody as the chief
priest in the Egbesu shrine.
Misreading Buhari! Last week, the news was everywhere that
President Buhari had ordered the immediate return of the golden sword,
seized by soldiers from the 4th Brigade, Benin City, Edo State, May 28,
last year, while searching for Tompolo in the heat of oil facility
bombing in the area. However, checks by NDV, weekend, showed that
neither the Presidency nor military authorities have contacted the
Gbaramatu monarchy on the return of the golden sword, but the people are
appreciative and hopeful. But some people strangely claim that the
Egbesu goddess prevailed on under the weather Buhari to order a return
of the looted symbol of office.
The sources insisted that the strangers, who touch the sword
normally, come under a curse and the deity, if provoked further, could
harm the chief priest under whose custody the sceptre came into danger,
Tompolo in this instance. Roar from hideout : It was, therefore, not
surprising that Tompolo yelled from his hideout, last year, about the
missing sceptre, but not many understood the reason for the throbbing
alarm. In fact, he first screamed on June 11, 17 days after the
disappearance and exactly 31 days after, he renewed his apprehension in
an open letter to President Buhari.
Traditional ruler of the kingdom.
His words: “Today is exactly 31 days after the invasion of the
traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oporoza town by your
military, led by Brig. General Faruk Yahaya of the 4th Brigade, Benin
City in search of me. They came on the allegation that I am the one
behind the bombing and destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger
Delta region, and the incident happened in my absence.”
“But, I was informed that the army was on the loose and
committed so much abomination in the community. Imagine, the traditional
ruler of the kingdom was literally placed on house arrest for one week.
“As I said in my previous publications, the military made away
with the symbol of authority of the Gbaramatu people from the Egbesu
Shrine, which I am the Chief Priest. They also made away with other
valuables worth several millions of naira from the community,” he said.
Tompolo, who disclosed that the King’s golden crown was earlier stolen in 2009 during a military raid on the kingdom, said: “Traditional
worship centres were desecrated, property were looted and above all,
the multi-billion naira ultra-modern magnificent palace of the Pere of
Gbaramatu Kingdom was burned down, and his golden crown was stolen by
the military.”
He appealed: “Mr. President Sir, please kindly direct your army to return the looted items, including the symbol of authority…”
The gods could kill Tompolo… National President of Ijaw Peoples
Development Initiative, IPDI, Mr. Austin Ozobo, who captured the deep
pains of Tompolo on the golden sword told NDV: “Except it is
returned, a time will come when the symbol of authority wants to return
home, it will compel the Ijaw nation to go into serious war with her
enemies to return home the symbol of authority. Equally, the camp of the
enemies will not be at peace; there will be tribulation and grave
destruction in the land of the enemy.”
“Another implication is that if Tompolo fails to fight for its
return, the gods may decide to kill Tompolo and raise another warrior to
fight for her enemy to return the stolen staff of authority back to
base.
“Despite the fact that Tompolo is on the run, he knows the
implication and that is why he is telling Buhari to compel the military
men, who stole the sword to return it. He is trying to avoid a situation
where he will be either killed or forced by the gods to lead another
war against the government or Ijaw nation being compelled to go into a
serious war with the government one day to return the Egbesu staff of
authority,” he asserted.
Curse on the enemy:Ozobo stated: “The gods of the land are
angry at the unlawful invasion of their privacy. Cursed are the hands
that took away the insignia and they are doomed already.
The only thing that will annul the curse is for them to return
the symbol and present themselves for purification. This is why Tompolo
is worried being the current chief priest.”
Motivation to live: Looking at the federal government’s renewed
interest in opening the Nigeria Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko,
for academic studies, order to release the golden sword, recent release
of 10 Niger Delta agitators held for months without trial by security
agencies and other peace moves, Tompolo, even in his hideaway, knows
that President Buhari has given him another reason to.
With the way things are going, he can be sure that political
solution is not ruled out in the case against him, which he insisted all
along, was politically masterminded.
Source: Vanguard
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