The Nigerian Police Force has begun the search for a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

The arrest of Tompolo has been twice ordered by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, over his failure to show up before the court and answer to 40 counts of fraud.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged Tompolo and a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, alongside eight others for the alleged fraud.

Buba had issued a bench warrant for Tompolo and ordered that he must be produced in court on February 8, 2016 ‘by all means to answer the charges.’

After shunning the court yet again on February 8, Tompolo was declared wanted by the EFCC and the Police was mandated to arrest him and bring him to the court.

While the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has ordered the Bayelsa State Police Command to carry out Tompolo’s arrest in compliance with the order of a Federal High Court- the search thus far, has been largely unsuccessful.

Despite the police having deployed officers to the creeks of the Niger Delta to arrest Tompolo, the former militant leader’s kinsmen are not too keen to help facilitate his arrest.

In spite of this, the police spokesperson, Olabisi Kolawole, has said the police is capable of arresting Tompolo.

“As the IG stated, we have deployed men to carry out the court order to arrest Tompolo and our men are on his trail. I don’t think it would be necessary to involve other security agencies, the police are up to the task of apprehending him.”

However, Tompolo’s Ijaw relatives are not inclined to give up the former militant leader, who is highly revered by the people of Gbaramatu-Ijaw in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State.

A royal father, who spoke on condition of anonymity, to Vanguard, was quoted to have said: “No Gbaramatu man will reveal the hideout of Tompolo to any security man even if he knows, unless that person does not have a true Ijaw blood flowing in him.”

“Tompolo is an institution, not only in Ijawland, but in the whole of Niger Delta. He has touched many lives and is the current symbol of the struggle. Therefore, it is not easy for any full-blooded Ijaw man to betray him. From what I can see, the whole thing is about business transaction, the Federal Government should settle the matter and let peace reign.”