A former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has urged the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal to void the warrant for arrest issued against him on January 14 and February 8 by Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice Buba issued the warrant for Tompolo’s arrest for his failure to honour summons issued on him in respect of 40 counts of alleged N45.9bn fraud levelled against him and nine others.
The judge had in a ruling on February 8 dismissed an application by Tompolo’s lawyers, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, seeking to vacate the arrest warrant on the claim that Tompolo was not properly served with the summons.
Following Tompolo’s continued absence in court, Justice Buba, on Friday last week ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to seize some assets belonging to Tompolo pending when he would appear in court to answer the charges.
In a statement on Sunday, Adegboruwa, however, said his law firm and that of Oyetibo had since Thursday filed an appeal against the arrest warrant issued on Tompolo by Justice Buba.
In their 10 grounds of appeal, Oyetibo and Adegbroruwa contended that Justice Buba erred in law when he “refused to set aside the warrant of arrest issued against him (Tompolo), when there was no evidence to show that he had been notified of the summons and the criminal charge pending against him, before the Court.”
The lawyers also argued that Justice Buba ought to have ascertained that the EFCC duly complied with the order of the court for substituted service, by posting the charge at the correct address as contained in the order of the court.
They also urged the appellate court to declare that the application leading to the issuance of the warrant for Tompolo’s arrest was not competently placed before the court, because the counsel that signed and filed it on behalf of the EFCC failed to affix his seal thereto, as required by law.
Ogbeni Tompolo you better go appear before the court. Buhari no be the idiotic zoologist ooo that let you guys mess around...The earlier the better ooo...The grasshopper to refuse to heed to the warnings of the rain shall die out in the cold oooo...me I dey talk my own o
ReplyDeleteIt is really a shame that the so-called human right activist also has a price tag, a hungry lawyer, who in a bid to attract attention and command patronage, calls himself human-right activist. If their conscience is working at all, would they have have to be the ones to represent this nationally acclaimed criminal, who in connivance with other criminals in government stole the moneys belonging to the country? It is true that when money is involved, you will see their true colours. Indeed the biggest problem against the anti-corruption war are these lawyers.
ReplyDeleteTom. Stay where you are. The idea is to arrest you. Shikina. And punish you. Na trump up allegation.
ReplyDeleteOgbeni Rauf dey for Osun ooo .The Ogbeni we don finish Osun state .Pay salary na waaaoh -Pay Doctors -Inaaa . This is that changeoo. Most people for Osun don throw away the Broom.
ReplyDelete