The Ijaw Patriotic League has dismissed desperate attempts by some people to link the heinous murder of 16 military personnel at Okuama to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) as ridiculous and laughable.

The National Coordinator of the IPL, Jasper Eritei, said in a statement on Friday that those behind the recent campaign against Tompolo are oil thieves and their cohorts who did not get the pipeline contract of the NNPC Ltd.

The IPL said that Tantita Security Services Limited should not relent in the pursuit of oil thieves in the Niger Delta region as clearly specified in the mandate given to it by President Bola Tinubu.

Eritei said that the security services in the country are aware of the details of what transpired and those who carried out the grave assault on Nigeria, the nation’s Armed Forces and the citizens.

The IPL said that those struggling wildly and ludicrously to link the abominable murder of the 16 members of the Armed Forces are only exposing their desperate attempt to subvert the economy of this country.

The IPL said that those who murdered the 16 Army personnel comprising a Commanding Officer, two Majors, a Captain and 12 soldiers are terrorist who have sold their hearts to the devil.

Eritei noted that the desperate attempt to drag the name of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo to the horrendous act cannot succeed.

IPL called on Tompolo and his team to put up more efforts to intensify the campaign against oil theft in pursuit of the critical mandate given to them by the President to rid the nation of oil thieves.

The group called on security agencies to remain focused to assess the crime against humanity by bringing those behind the crime to justice.

It said that Tompolo and his partners in the fight against oil thieves cannot afford the price of distraction at this critical point.

The group noted that those who are fleeing after the gruesome murder of the soldiers are being pursued by their guilt noting that they should be strong enough to face the aftermath of their dastardly act.

The statement reads in part: “We have watched with shock an orchestrated desperate bid to link the gruesome murder of 16 soldiers of the Nigerian Army by a criminal group at Okuoma in Ughelli South Local Government Area.

“We are not in doubt that those struggling pitifully to link High Chief Tompolo to this heinous crime are oil thieves and their cohorts who are angry with Tompolo.

“We are not surprised as people who keenly followed the campaign of calumny that preceded the renewal of the Tantita Pipeline Contract that these people will stop at nothing to discredit the campaign against oil related crimes in the region.

“The IPL is of the view that our country’s security outfit have enough information about those who carried out this heinous assault on our collective sanity, peace and security and have taken steps to assess it.

“This nation is bigger than the pecuniary pursuits of oil thieves and criminals. We therefore call on High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) and his team to intensify the productive efforts against the unpatriotic characters determined to destroy the nation’s economy.

“As a firm that has gained the confidence of the President, Tantita cannot afford to be distracted. The firm’s collaborative relation with the security agencies had yielded reassuring results such as reduction in oil theft and increased daily oil production in the country.

“We call on the Armed Forces to ensure that this matter is holistically investigated and those behind the crime are brought to justice.

“Lastly, our sympathies are with the military whose brave and patriotic personnel were gruesomely murdered by the criminals. Justice should be served. We call on the military and the government not to be distracted by the ploy of the suspects to change the conversation by pointing fingers at innocent people.”

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