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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