Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, father of the embattled
former Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as
Tompolo, is dead.
Ekpemupolo, 84, died on Wednesday morning
at a private clinic in Warri, where he had been receiving treatment for
injuries he sustained in one of his legs after his home was
allegedly invaded by soldiers in May, this year.
However, there was said to be a build-up of
tension in the creeks following the development.
Tompolo father’s
personal residence at Kurutie community in Warri South-West Local Government
Area of Delta State was in May raided by military personnel from the Joint Task
Force, who were in search of his son, Tompolo.
He was said to have
sustained injuries during the attack, leading to one of his legs being
amputated.
Spokesperson for Tompolo,
Paul Bebenimibo, confirmed the development when contacted on the telephone by
our correspondent.
He told our
correspondent that the father of the Gbaramatu strongman died from injuries
sustained during the military expeditions into his community in Gbaramatu
kingdom in the early hours of May 29, 2016.
While referring to
an earlier statement the junior Ekpemupolo had issued, Bebenimibo said the
family would officially issue a statement on the development.
The spokesman for the
Ijaw Youth Council, Eric Omare, also confirmed the death of Tompolo’s
father. IYC described the passage as very regrettable.
A statement later
released by the IYC, the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, said, “The IYC received
with shock the demise of Chief Ekpemupolo, the father of Chief Government
Ekpemupolo in the early hours of Wednesday, September 7, 2016, in Warri, Delta
State.
“The death is
unfortunate and painful especially considering the fact that he died from the
injuries he sustained while running from military rampage on Kurutie community,
Gbaramatu Kingdom, early this year.
“Indeed, Chief Ekpemupolo
is a victim of military unlawful invasion of innocent people’s homes and
communities of the Niger Delta region in the name of looking for militants.
Chief Ekpemupolo has paid the supreme price for the Niger Delta people.
“The IYC sympathise
with the Ekpemupolo family, the Gbaramatu Kingdom and the Ijaw nation on this
untimely death. However, the struggle for the betterment of the Niger Delta
people continues!”
Punch
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