Human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo has raised the alarm over an alleged threat to his life by a Niger Delta ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a ‘Tompolo’.
He has therefore, reported the threat to his life to security agencies. In a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Service, Keyamo, detailed how he received a telephone call from Tompolo.
However, he said the conversation that ensued baffled him as he, Tompolo said they have been looking for him and that they would kill him.
The letter, a copy of which was sent to President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan reads:
Dear Sirs,
THREAT TO KILL MR. FESTUS KEYAMO BY MR. GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO (ALIAS TOMPOLO)
My name is Festus Keyamo. I am a Nigerian citizen and a senior member of the legal profession in Nigeria.
At exactly 10:13pm on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, I received a telephone call from one Mr. Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) with phone number 08027721208. We have been acquaintances in the past, so I know his numbers. After reaffirming that he is Tompolo when I picked his call, he went straight to the point by informing me that he wishes to inform me that he and his “boys” will kill me by beating me to death or shooting me anywhere they can find me. And that the hunt for me is on. His exact words in pidgin English was “we dey look for you. Anywhere we see you, whether for Lagos or Abuja or Warri, we go beat you die or we go shoot you.”
He said he would kill me because I have decided to take up the matter involving his blood brother, Mr. George Ekpemupolo, who was used to illegally substitute another candidate, Mr. Weyinmi Omadeli (48 hours to the election) in the Warri South-West L.G.A elections that were concluded last Saturday in Delta State. He said no one has ever challenged his authority in Delta State. Kindly find attached the open letter I wrote to Governor Uduaghan of Delta State yesterday which has sparked Tompolo’s determination to kill me.
I asked Tompolo FIVE TIMES whether, he was, in fact, threatening my life over an open line and he said nobody in the country can do anything about it by the time I am dead.
Co-incidentally, exactly three minutes after Tompolo dropped his line, His Excellency, Governor Udaughan called me at exactly 10.16pm, and I reported to him what just transpired between Tompolo and myself. The Governor promised to speak with him, but that cannot be reassuring enough, and I know the remedy in law against an intended murderer is not to beg him but to ignite the criminal justice system against him, no matter how comatose that system is.
I know the subject of this petition, Tompolo, is a favoured citizen of this government, and I am not. I know Tompolo is close to those in power at the moment, whereas I am an ordinary citizen. I know Tompolo has money and influence (which are factors that are widely acknowledged to aid a suspect walk away with murder in Nigeria), but I have none of these. I know Tompolo has instrument to kill human beings, and I have none.
In the circumstance, I am making this petition public so that when you refuse to attend to my complaint and outcry, the ordinary people of this country will, at least, know from where my death came and I will not join the long list of unresolved murders. My killer, should, at least be known.
Thank you for, at least, reading my petition.
Yours sincerely,
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.
