Who is responsible for destruction of crude oil n gas? Tompolo Writes Buhari

As a result of the recent attack in Delta state Okpelama community chair, Mr Yabrade, said the community has become a ghost town, with the villagers fleeing the town.

Ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, last night, sent an open message to President Buhari, alleging that top members of the APC in Bayelsa and Delta states were responsible for the ongoing destruction of crude oil and gas pipelines in the creeks of Delta State.

The ex-militant leader in his letter to Buhari, said the leader of APC in Bayelsa State and a few young men from Warri South West local government area of Delta State were bent on linking him to the destruction of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, “whereas they are the ones carrying out the act to smear my name.”

According to him, “they are doing this in connivance with an agent of Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC who is also a member of APC because I refused to buy property from him.”

His words: “The crux of this letter is to let you know them and to say that they are mischievous, desperate, and therefore, do not share the same vision and mission with you, as well as do not believe in good governance.”

Tompolo also said an APC member in the state approached him shortly after he (Tompolo) met with President Buhari, requesting to plead on his behalf to be appointed as Special Adviser, SA and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, but he refused.

Okpelama community chair, Mr. Yabrade, who spoke on phone, described the midnight invasion of the community by the army as uncalled for and unwarranted.

Giving details of the incident that lasted over two hours, Yabrade stated that the soldiers stormed the community in a commando-like manner at about 10.45 pm, making the panic-struck residents to run into the bush for safety.

“Though they left at about 2.00 am, the way and manner the military personnel stormed the community in the middle of the night reminds us of the military era.

“As a community without skeletons in the closet, we are shocked with the activities of the army because we are in a sane country that ought to practice the rule of law, hence we expected the military to partner with the community even if they were working on intelligence report.

“Our community is not part of those recently rocked by pipeline explosions. As I speak with you, we have not been able to account for the whereabouts of three children, who fled into the bush while the incident lasted.”

Information gathered from the locals showed that the soldiers stormed the community in three gunboats and two 200-horse powerboats.

The soldiers returned to the community in the early hours of Sunday, but stayed for some minutes with their gunboats at the waterfront before zooming off.