A group of former federal legislators
from the South-south geopolitical zone on Wednesday urged former General
Officer Commanding, (GOC) of the Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo to surrender to
the government and face his trial.
Following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission case against him, Tompolo has gone into hiding, while crude oil and gas pipelines have been bombed in the region.
Rather than attract the wrath of the Federal Government for bombing of oil facilities in the area, the Coalition of South-south Emeritus Legislators also urged those aggrieved in the region to embrace peace and channel their grievances through the amnesty office.
The group comprising 11 ex-members of the House of Representatives briefed journalists in Abuja.
Rt. Hon. Mercy Almona-Isei (Delta) said: “Already the federal government has instituted an agency as a window of opportunity for all aggrieved people from that region to come and ventilate their grievances in any way and that is the office of the amnesty programme.
“And already that particular office has been engaging the people from this region. Some have benefited from one form of training or the other.
“And if anything has arisen that will create this type of confusion or anger within the people, we expect that we should use that platform to get back whatever they feel they are denied of.”
On Tompolo, she added: “Against that background, we are calling on our own son, our brother, who is being called by the government to come and answer any question. He should come out as a gentleman and as a true son of the Niger Delta region.
“He should come out and give his own part of the story. We all know that nobody is presumed guilty until you are proven so. So I think rather than pull down the trees in the whole region because of one person, we believe that he should be man enough, he should be a patriot that he is, he should be nationalistic and come out to answer to whatever he is being accused of.”
Nation
Following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission case against him, Tompolo has gone into hiding, while crude oil and gas pipelines have been bombed in the region.
Rather than attract the wrath of the Federal Government for bombing of oil facilities in the area, the Coalition of South-south Emeritus Legislators also urged those aggrieved in the region to embrace peace and channel their grievances through the amnesty office.
The group comprising 11 ex-members of the House of Representatives briefed journalists in Abuja.
Rt. Hon. Mercy Almona-Isei (Delta) said: “Already the federal government has instituted an agency as a window of opportunity for all aggrieved people from that region to come and ventilate their grievances in any way and that is the office of the amnesty programme.
“And already that particular office has been engaging the people from this region. Some have benefited from one form of training or the other.
“And if anything has arisen that will create this type of confusion or anger within the people, we expect that we should use that platform to get back whatever they feel they are denied of.”
On Tompolo, she added: “Against that background, we are calling on our own son, our brother, who is being called by the government to come and answer any question. He should come out as a gentleman and as a true son of the Niger Delta region.
“He should come out and give his own part of the story. We all know that nobody is presumed guilty until you are proven so. So I think rather than pull down the trees in the whole region because of one person, we believe that he should be man enough, he should be a patriot that he is, he should be nationalistic and come out to answer to whatever he is being accused of.”
Nation
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