Iwere Peoples Congress, an Itsekiri socio-cultural group has warned former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, a.k.a, Tompolo against harassing and threatening prominent Itsekiri people within and outside the state.
The Group in a statement by its President General, Prince Ishola Ekwejunor-Etchie said “Tompolo should not mistake our quietness for cowardice. We have only chosen to be civil and mature. We are made up of distinguished career men, with all necessary skills, tactics, preparedness and capacity to overrun Tompolo and his cohorts, should we choose to do so.
“We have been watching with keen interest the serial threats by Tompolo and his cohorts on the lives of our people. They disrupted the ground breaking of Export Processing Zone, EPZ. He threatened fire during the chairmanship election in Warri South-West Local Government Area, leading to the substitution of a legitimate chairman with his younger brother. We also saw how the upheaval he started led to the governor quitting his senatorial ambition for peace to reign.
“We shall not take it from him anymore. He is cutting the tail of a sleeping tiger. No one has the monopoly of violence.”
My fellow Etsekiri countrymen – You indeed speak the truth here. I humbly ask that you don’t change your character as a people because of a thug. What you are going through is a sample of what overwhelming majority of Nigerian people are going through with the Federal Government under Pres. Jonathan empowering thugs directly – as in Tompolo – or indirectly/directly as in Boko Haram. Tompolo is is eating your breakfast, lunch & dinner because he is empowered by GEJ – Cut off the supply stream to his mojo and he would wither like a vegetable without water. Vote out Jonathan en-masse in next election and seek restitution to your rights that have been trampled upon, like all Nigerians would do come next election. That would be civil and mature.
Then work with the new administration to ensure that the environment in Etsekiri land is shaped by obey of rule of law, peace and progress and working with everyone to see that anybody – no matter how highly placed – that flouts the law of the land receives full justice under the law