Ex–leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, yesterday, denied having anything to do with the Niger Delta Avengers, the shadowy group that claimed responsibility for the damaged Forcados 48-Inch Export Pipeline not long ago.
Tompolo said he does not have a link with the new militant group.
According to him, “I am not part of the group. It is very unfortunate that I am still being accused of pipeline vandalism despite several press releases I have made, denying my involvement in the renewed hostilities in the Niger Delta region.’
He also urged the Federal Government to investigate the firms lobbying for contract to repair damaged pipelines in the region, as their hands may not be clean.
Since the declaration of the Presidential amnesty programme by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which I wholeheartedly embraced and accepted, I had sworn not to be part of arm struggle either overtly or covertly.
“It is very important to let President Muhammadu Buhari know and the security agencies in the country too that, some members of the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC), particularly from Bayelsa and Delta States are not happy with him, because they have not gotten anything from him, after almost a year since he assumed office,” he said.
