Ex-militant, Tompolo, Buys Six Warships

A former Niger Delta militant, Mr. Government
Ekpemupolo, alia Tompolo, has bought seven
decommissioned Norwegian battleships,
Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Reports by a Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet,
said that the fast-speed Hauk-class guided
missile boats had been re-armed with new
weaponry.
The report also revealed that Ekpemupolo’s
most recent purchase is a KNM Horten, a fast-
attack craft now used in fighting piracy in
Nigeria’s waterways.
It was learnt that in spite of his alleged history
of violence, Tompolo, now controls the Global
West Vessel Service, a privately owned
contractor for maritime security for the Nigerian
Maritime Safety Agency.
Buying arms from Norway requires an export
license from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ships were reportedly sold first to CAS
Global, a British security company that has such
a license, after which Ekpemupolo reportedly
bought the ships from the British company.
Dagblade reported that the seven Norwegian
ships are now part of the company’s maritime
fleet patrolling under a contract for the Federal
Government.