Highly influential during the era of former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Tompolo was invited in December by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to visit its Lagos offices to answer charges relating to supply contracts he was given. Tompolo, has however, shunned the EFCC invitation, prompting an Abuja magistrates court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
This issuing of an arrest warrant and Tompolo's refusal to attend the EFCC's office has created tension in the Niger Delta, with his supporters threatening a return to violence if he is picked up. However, several wise old heads, including Ijaw traditional rulers have asked him to honour the invitation.
It now appears that the situation may get tenser after the Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Lagos Federal High Court issued a fresh arrest warrant. Justice Buba signed the warrant following the resumption of the case involving Tompolo and a former director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (Nimasa) Patrick Akpobolokemi.
Both men and eight others, are billed for arraignment for alleged conspiracy and diversion of over N34bn belonging to Nimasa. At the resumption of the matter yesterday, Tompolo's counsel Tayo Oyetibo, brought before the court an application asking Judge Buba to set aside an earlier order of arrest.
However, prosecuting counsel Festus Keyamo filed a counter affidavit in respect of the application but later withdrew it. Mr Keyamo objected to the application orally, quoting section 221 of administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, that Mr Oyetibo’s application should not be heard since the plea of the accused person had not been taken.
In spite of this objection, Justice Buba allowed the defence counsel to move his application. In the application, Mr Oyetibo prayed the court to set aside the arrest order on his client, arguing that the address on which the substituted service was pasted does not belong to Tompolo.
After listening to the submissions of Mr Oyetibo, Justice Buba dismissed his application and all the prayers therein. He ordered all the security organisations in the country to ensure the apprehension and production of Tompolo before the court to answer the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.
He also ruled that EFCC can arrest anybody that is alleged to have committed an offense without a court order. Before the court adjourned, Mr Keyamo informed the court that the EFCC has another charge involving Tompolo and the former Nimasa boss, where a fresh 22 count charge had been filed against them for conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N35bn.
Justice Buba fixed 25 February, 2016 both for the appearance of Tompolo in court and the fresh arraignment. It is not yet clear if Tompolo will now honour the EFCC's invitation following the issuing of the latest arrest warrant.
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