Tompolo Loses Father

By Dipo Olowookere

A former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, famously known as Tompolo, has lost his father to death.

Tompolo’s father, Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, was attacked few months ago by the military during a raid to the former militant’s community in Delta State, with the aim to arrest him (Tompolo).

During the raid, the elderly man sustained some injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Tompolo’s spokesman, in a statement issued on Wednesday, disclosed that the 84-year-old father of the ex-militant leader died at a hospital in Warri, Delta state, as a result of injuries sustained during the military attack.

Tompolo was a commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a group that spearheaded attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta region some years ago.

Tompolo and other militants surrendered their arms after the government of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua introduced an amnesty programme for repentant militants.

The programme was continued by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, which brought peace to the region and boosted the daily production of crude oil in the region.