An ex-militant leader and the National Coordinator of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, has cried out for help from President Muhammadu Buhari, to save him from persons, who he alleged was after his life in a clear case of mistaken identity as a whistleblower.
According to Eshanekpe, who spoke to our correspondent in a telephone conversation, he had taken one Okpurhe John, who is the actual whistleblower in a case concerning a cloned account belonging to the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, with an unremitted amount of over $1,034,515,000 dollars to the TSA.
Vanguard recalls that Okpurhe, in suit number M/9293/2020 filed by his lawyer, Elochukwu Nweke at an Abuja High Court on Monday, August 24, 2020, sought enforcement of his human rights with Abubakar Malami SAN, Alhassan Dantata, Inspector General of Police, and the Nigerian Police as respondents over the recovered sum.
Eshanekpe, who is also the Coordinator of the Urhobo Youth Forum for Change, UYFC and an avowed supporter of the President Buhari’s administration said he discovered that strange men have been tailing him and seen loitering around his house, ostensibly because he has being the providing support to Okpurhe, who is bent on pursuing his rightful entitlement as guaranteed by the FG’s Whistleblower policy.
The Urhobo-born youth leader urged the National Assembly, the international community, Nigeria Bar Association, South-South Governor’s Forum and Nigerians of goodwill to come to his rescue from the hands of those, who he alleged are bent on snuffing life out of him.
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He further called on the civil society organisations, CSOs, to as a matter of urgency come to his aid saying: “I am not the whistleblower but Akpodoro, the man who joined others to rescue Nigeria from the fringes of recession occasioned by the then renewed armed insurgency in the Niger Delta in 2016 when the Niger Delta Avengers wanted to cripple the national economy.
“I am a victim of patriotism, who has gained nothing from my huge support for President Buhari since 2013 when I met him in Kaduna long before he became the APC candidate and President thereafter.
“While I was in the creeks leading the security agencies to smoke out enemies of the Nigerian State, the government officials were in their comfort zones. I am aware that, I live in a clime where hardwork, honesty, patriotism and national solidarity is not rewarded but questionable characters smile to the banks daily.
He said, “that I am vociferous in the struggle for Okpurhe’s commission shouldn’t earn me a death sentence. At what point does a whistleblower become a criminal deserving death or removal from circulation?
“Security agencies should rather beam their searchlight on the government officials, who have allegedly conducted themselves questionably to deny Okpurhe his rightful entitlements from the FG’s Whistleblower Policy,” the livid Akpodoro stated.
