Nigerian Troops Swoop On N’Delta Militants

A combined military task force yesterday launched a manhunt for Chief Government Ekpemupolo (also known as Tompolo), his associates and others believed to be masterminds of a series of attacks on crude production and export pipelines in Delta State.
It was gathered that at least one suspect was arrested in connection with the attacks.
The gang had hit major gas and crude oil trunklines, including the major Escravos-Warri-Lagos-Abuja gas trunkline of the Nigerian Gas Company and several platforms of oil multinationals operating in the region.
But the swift intervention of the soldiers, foiled plans to hit more oil facilities, including the Opumami location of ConOil Limited, yesterday morning.
The latest violence in the region began last Friday after a Federal High Court, Thursday, issued an arrest warrant on Tompolo who failed to appear in court for trial on a N34billion fraud.
The soldiers had Saturday night, invaded Okpelama community, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, in search of militants.
It was learnt that the soldiers were also keeping surveillance on Kurutie, the hometown of Tompolo and Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom.
Tompolo, however, has continued to plead his innocence in the attacks, saying he did not carry out any bombing and did not send anybody to destroy oil installations.
He insisted that his enemies sponsored the mayhem to spite him.
A source at the community told newsmen that the soldiers, who stormed the community with gunboats at about 10.45 pm on Saturday, broke into homes of the villagers, many of whom scampered into the bush on sighting them as they alighted at the jetty front.
“We have all relocated to the forest for safety. We saw them (soldiers) breaking into houses, probably in search of arms and those responsible for the attacks on the pipeline facilities a few days ago,” a villager said.
He said some members of the community were still in the bush as at 7.30 am yesterday morning.
However, chairman of the community, who later spoke to our source on phone, corroborated the invasion, saying that the people were surprised that soldiers invaded the town, as they had nothing to do with the on-going attacks by militants.
He disclosed that soldiers did not contact leaders of the community on the reason for their invasion, adding, “At the moment, my community is practically a ghost town, the people are running away to Warri and other places.”
A security source, however, said, “There is information that some of the boys sponsored to carry out the attacks are from Okpelama, which is why soldiers went to the community in search of them.”
Okpelama community chairman told one of our sources that after Saturday night’s raid, the soldiers came back again yesterday morning to the community’s waterfront, but did not enter inside.

Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewale (left), with Hakimni Fuka in Niger State, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, during the fact-finding visit of the minister to Fuka, the first village where Lassa Fever was recently reported, in Niger State.