The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has debunked reports that a former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo procured six warships.
This denial was made in Lagos at a press conference by the Director-General, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi,
Akpobolokemi said 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, advising members of the public to take advantage of the freedom of information bill to seek clarification on any issue.
According to him, 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 or not.
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 it has an existing contract with a Nigerian company to help acquire, maintain and equip the ships.”
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