By Emma Amaize

WARRI—A top aide of fleeing militant kingpin, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, yesterday denied that the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta discovered a list of militant backers or sponsors from their erstwhile stronghold, Camp 5, saying, “it is all lies, there is no such list”.

Speaking to Vanguard, he said, “Even me, I am surprised that they are saying that they recovered a list of backers or sponsors of Camp 5, that is not true, it is all lies, there is nothing like that, they are just saying it to scare some people from making the comments they would want to make about the ongoing operation of the task force”.

The aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “Camp 5 is a reaction of some Niger-Delta youths to the injustice of the Nigerian state against the people of the region and it is also not true, as you people (press) have reported that the place was abandoned by a construction firm because of the Niger-Delta crisis.

It is not so, rather, one of the companies that worked in the Niger-Delta in the past built the place and left it for the Gbaramatu people when it finished its work because of the good rapport.

“If the JTF is talking about recovering any list of names, I can say yes to some extent in the case of the duty roster, but that is not even anything to worry about because the names there  are all nicknames, they are the names the boys can easily identify themselves with, not real names of the people”.

On the rumour that Tompolo has fled the country, he said, “You don’t expect me to tell you where he is, but, what I can tell you is that there is no substance in all those stories, I think some media people are just writing to sell their newspapers”.

“If the Federal Government really felt they have any list of backers, they should publish it and let the world see, it is all pretence, they don’t have anything”.