Mr. Ekpemupolo, who is widely known as Tompolo, said the former president was the primary target of the Buhari administration.
Tompolo, who is a fugitive having so far declined to answer a summons by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said the government’s plan to arrest him was a smokescreen to get at Mr. Jonathan.
In a rare exclusive interview, Tompolo also alleged that his father, who died last week, was physically assaulted by Nigeria’s security agents on May 26, 2016 when they invaded Kurutie town in the Gbaramatu local government area where his late father, Thomas
Ekpemupolo, resided before his death.
The former militant said the soldiers who attacked his aged father also ransacked his and others’ homes in the community. According to him, his late father suffered serious bodily injuries which resulted in the
amputation of his lower limbs.
“I am just a victim of circumstances. I am just a perceived enemy of the government,” Tompolo said in the interview. He added: “The intention of the government was to arrest former President Goodluck Jonathan. But they feel that arresting Jonathan without arresting me may be difficult, that was the reason why they are after me.”
He offered more details on his father’s death, stating, “It happened in the early hours of Saturday May 28, 2016 when the Nigerian Army, under the guise of looking for members of the Niger Delta Avengers and of course my humble self, who they have accused of being behind the activities of the group without any evidence, invaded Kurutie town, where my father, Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, was staying. They ransacked the whole building and brutalized him. He sustained an injury in one of his legs. We took him to Warri for medical attention after one week of the incident, due to difficulty in movement from the village to Warri because of the activities of the Army. He was admitted at Lily Clinic, where thorough medical tests were conducted on him. The doctors later
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