A former Niger Delta militant, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, alia Tompolo, has bought seven decommissioned Norwegian battleships.
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.
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