An Appeal Court on Friday ordered
the temporary forfeiture of assets belonging to former Niger Delta militant
leader, Government Ekpemupolo, famously known as Tompolo.
The Appeal Court made the
decision over Tompolo’s refusal to honour court summons over fraud charges
hanging around his neck.
The Court of Appeal sitting in
Lagos dismissed an appeal filed by him, seeking to set aside the decision of
the Federal High Court, Lagos which empowered the EFCC to attach all the assets
belonging to the ex-militant.
Justice Ibrahim N. Buba of the
Federal High Court, Lagos had on February 19, 2016 made an order attaching
Tompolo’s properties for failure to appear to answer the charges against him.
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission on December 15, 2015 instituted a criminal charge against Tompolo
and nine others over allegations of fraud at the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
However, in a unanimous judgment
yesterday, the Court of Appeal held that Tompolo cannot be heard complaining
that his properties are attached by the Court below, when he has not come to
answer to the summons against him.
The court held that the option
available to Tompolo is to appear before the Federal High Court to apply for
the order to be discharged, instead of filing the appeal.
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