Tompolo bought no warships—NIMASA DG

he Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Patrick Akpobolokemi, yesterday, debunked the alleged procurement of six warships by a former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

Akpobolokemi said at a news conference in Lagos that those behind the allegation were people whose vessels had been arrested by the agency for involvement in crude oil theft, piracy and kidnapping within the nation’s waterways. He advised members of the public to take advantage of the freedom of information bill to seek clarification on any issue.

He said the vessels in question were procured by Global West Vessel Ltd which had a valid contract to patrol the country’s maritime domain.

He said the vessels had since been decommissioned by the Norwegian government. He, however, could not say if the vessels he spoke about were recently procured by contractors to the agency.

He said:“Members of the National Assembly with oversight function have inspected the ships in question. At the time the ships were procured, they had no weapons on board. The weapons they are presently carrying are those mounted by the Nigerian Navy. The personnel on board are naval personnel. NIMASA has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy to man those ships while NIMASA has an existing contract with a Nigerian company to help acquire, maintain and equip the ships.