A Federal High Court Justice Buba Inbrahim in Lagos on Friday authorised<\/p>\n
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to seize some assets
\nbelonging to a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo,
\nalias Tompolo.<\/p>\n
The judge ordered the anti corruption agency to take possession of the
\nconcerned assets pending when Tompolo will make himself available to
\nanswer charges of N45.9bn fraud preferred against him and nine others.<\/p>\n
The judge said if Tompolo failed to appear within three months of the
\norder, the Federal Government may proceed to auction the assets and other
\nproperties.<\/p>\n
The assets of Tompolo which the EFCC was authorised to seize include his
\nhouse located at No. 1, Chief Agbamu Close DDPA Extension Warri (Effurun),
\nDelta State.<\/p>\n
Others are a River Crew Change Boat named MUHA -15; \u201cTompolo Dockyard,\u201d
\n\u201cTompolo Yard,\u201d the Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River; \u201cTompolo
\nHouse\u201d at Oporaza Town, opposite the Palace.<\/p>\n
The judge said the EFCC may also seize any other assets it may later
\ndiscover and verify to indeed belong to Tompolo.<\/p>\n
The judge, however, declined to authorise the EFCC to seize four
\ncompanies, which the EFCC had listed in its application as parts of
\nTompolo\u2019s assets, saying one person does not own a company.<\/p>\n
Justice Buba noted that third parties had already appeared in court to
\noppose the seizure of the said companies.<\/p>\n
The said companies are Mieka Dive Ltd.; Mieka Dive Training Institute
\nLtd.; Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd.; and Muhaabix Global Services
\nLtd.<\/p>\n
The EFCC, through its lawyer, Festus Keyamo, had applied through an ex
\nparte application, to the court pursuant to sections 80 and 81 of the
\nAdministration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to seize Tompolo\u2019s assets.<\/p>\n
At the hearing on Friday, Tompolo\u2019s lawyers, Messrs Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and
\nEbun-Olu Adegboruwa, were not in court.<\/p>\n
Keyamo, while moving the application, said it would be in the interest of
\njustice to grant it.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cWhat is unfolding before our very eyes is something that has
\nnever been seen in this country for a very long time, where a citizen
\ndisparages the order of the court, briefs lawyers to appear for him but
\nrefuses to appear, keeps making disparaging statements against the
\njudiciary.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his ruling Justice Buba said he found the application to be meritorious.<\/p>\n
The judge held, \u201cSections 80 and 81(ACJA) provide that a judge or a
\nmagistrate can at any time, after action has been taken under Section 41
\nof this Act, for an application made in that regard after summons or
\nwarrant has been issued but disobeyed, order the attachment of any
\nproperty, movable or immovable, or both belonging to a suspect, the
\nsubject of public summons or warrant, while Section 81 provides an order
\nunder Section 80 of this Act to authorise a public officer to attach any
\nproperty belonging to the suspect within the area of jurisdiction of the
\njudge\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThis court has no doubt that the application has merit.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a five-paragraph affidavit filed in support of the ex parte
\napplication, a lawyer from Keyamo\u2019s chambers,Adah Adah, said he was aware
\nthat Tompolo had been invited on several occasions by the EFCC to answer
\nallegations of fraudulent activities.<\/p>\n
He added that a charge had been filed against him before the court but
\nthat Tompolo had persistently refused to honour all the invitations
\nextended to him.<\/p>\n
Adah said he was aware that Tompolo had already briefed two lawyers, Mr.
\nTayo Oyetibo (SAN), and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, to represent him.<\/p>\n
Adah said he recalled that a bench warrant was issued against Tompolo by
\nthe court on January 14, 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat since the issuance of the warrant of arrest, the 1st accused person
\nhas absconded and concealed himself from all security forces in the
\ncountry to frustrate the execution of the warrant of arrest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat rather than present himself to the court, the 1st accused person
\nengaged the services of Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), who filed a motion dated 27th
\nday of January, 2016 to set aside the warrant of arrest. The said motion
\nwas dismissed on the 8th day of February, 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat since the order for the arrest of the 1st accused person, the
\ncombined team of the Nigeria police and the military have been combing the
\ncreeks and the entire nation for the arrest of the 1st accused person, but
\nhe continues to abscond and conceal himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adah said the EFCC operatives had investigated and discovered that the
\nassets it sought to seize indeed belong to Tompolo.<\/p>\n
He said it would be in the interest of justice for the court to grant the
\napplication.<\/p>\n
The EFCC filed 40 counts against Tompolo and nine others, including the
\nimmediate-past Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.<\/p>\n
The other suspects in the charge are Kime Engozu, Rex Elem, Gregory Mbonu
\nand Capt. Warredi Enisuoh.<\/p>\n
The suspects were charged along with four companies, namely: Global West
\nVessel Specialist Limited, Odimiri Electrical Limited, Boloboere Property
\nand Estate Limited and Destre Consult Limited.<\/p>\n
The suspects were accused of diverting and converting to their personal
\nuse a sum of N34bn and N11.9bn belonging to NIMASA.<\/p>\n
The offence, according to EFCC, is contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money
\nLaundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and were liable to
\npunishment under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Federal High Court Justice Buba Inbrahim in Lagos on Friday authorised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to seize some assets belonging to a former Niger Delta militant leader,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n