A forum of business leaders from the Niger Delta region have appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to unmask the identities of persons threatening the life of Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Adokiye Tombomieye.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Niger Delta Young Business Forum (NDYBF) decried barrage of attacks against Adokiye, who hails from the region.
The forum, however, attributed the development to blackmailers, who were bent in extorting money from the top official.
The forum’s Coordinator, Richard Akinika, said persons behind the attacks wanted to stampede Adokiye for some selfish financial gains against the tenets of his recent office in the oil industry.
Akinika said the preliminary investigations of the forum uncovered faces of a few selfish and corrupt Niger Delta indigenes trying to arm-twist and extort the top NNPC official.
He said: “Adokiye is one of the reputable sons of the Niger Delta and a role model to many young aspiring business leaders and should not be smeared in any manner.
All checks showed that those behind the blackmail and smear campaign are out to extort him. This act is a typical way used by these clueless, greedy and empty few to drag indigenes of the region in position power into corrupt practices.
Akinika said as part of their tactics, the attackers were threatening to protest against his promotion to pressurise him to do their biddings.
He said: “These people have gone as far as threatening the life of an official of government for refusing to bow to their pressure. We thank Mr. President, The Minister of Petroleum and the GMD NNPC for the confidence reposed on Adokiye, who is an outstanding and illustrious son of the region by promoting him to such enviable stake. We know his promotion is on merit and as such, no amount of blackmail from criminal characters should hold sway.
“We, therefore, call on the Inspector-General of Police and the other security agencies to immediately launch an investigation into these acts of harassment, intimidation and threat to life of a public official, whose only crime is working judiciously along other top official to fulfil the mandate handed them by President Muhammadu Buhari.
