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.”
Post a Comment