It was learnt that Tompolo already met with some ex-agitators and youth leaders in oil-rich communities in Niger Delta for enlistment to safeguard oil pipelines.
Youths from across the Niger Delta area of Nigeria have been trooping into Oporoza, the ancestral headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri West Local Government Area of Delta state and the home of a former militant leader and Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo.
It was learnt that Tompolo already met with some ex-agitators and youth leaders in oil-rich communities in Niger Delta for enlistment to safeguard oil pipelines.
SaharaReporters gathered that Tompolo will on Friday (today) meet with various stakeholders and youth leaders drawn from the 25 local government areas of Delta state, in continuation of the engagements with stakeholders, ex-agitators and youth leaders in Niger Delta.
One of the objectives of the engagement is to assist a company owned by Tompolo work out modalities that will curb the rising crude oil theft and vandalism in the region, according to a source.
This comes after the ex-militant was awarded a multi-billion naira contract to assist the Nigerian Government end crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Some of the stakeholders in the region sighted at the meeting include former presidents of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, Udengs Eradiri and Eric Omare; priests of Egbesu, Ijaw religious organisation, led by Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei; leaders of all youth groups in the Niger Delta, heads of notorious cult groups in the region among others.
Others are former unit commanders of MEND such as Eris Paul, aka General Oguboss; Pius Wareyal, aka General Pius; Joshua Macaiver, Pastor Reuben Wilson, Young Shall Grow and all the second phase “generals”.
The source told SaharaReporters that the Nigerian Government gave a multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract to the former militant leader.
The government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited have signed a deal with Tompolo to end pipeline vandalism and all forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta, the source said.
The total amount and other details of the contract could not be ascertained, but it was said to be worth billions of naira.
The contract entails monitoring and overseeing other surveillance contractors and their activities in the area.
Mayor of Urhoboland and ex-militant leader, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro on Thursday congratulated Chief Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo, for winning the oil and gas pipelines security surveillance contract from the Nigerian Government.
Akpodoro commended the government for the wisdom behind awarding surveillance contracts to indigenous people, describing it as the best way to tackle the problem of pipeline vandalism and oil theft in the area.
He said having a community-based security network is the best way to secure national assets such as the oil and gas pipelines, particularly in the riverine areas where conventional security infrastructure has little or no reach.
In 2015, the Nigerian Government terminated the $103m (about N21billion) maritime security contract awarded by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to Global West Vessel Specialists Nigeria Limited (GWVSNL) believed to be owned by Tompolo.
When Muhammadu Buhari came to power, the Presidency ordered the cancellation of such contracts.
Many groups believed that it was a national shame, noting that the contracts were akin to handing over national assets to armed gangs for protection, much against the collective interests of citizens.
Meanwhile, the new deal was allegedly brokered by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva and some NNPC top officials including the Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomelye.
Meanwhile, Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) in April urged the government to rescind the decision to award the oil pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo.
It said the North would vehemently resist any attempt by the government to award such a contract to secure oil pipelines in the country to Tompolo.
At a press briefing, in Arewa House, Kaduna, the leaders of AYA said: “Information at the disposal of the Arewa Youth Assembly is that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited under the leadership of Kolo Kyari is planning to assign the job of pipelines surveillance to an enemy of the state, a militant popularly known as Tompolo.”
Deputy Speaker of AYA, Abdulsalami Kazeem, described the plan to award Tompolo the contract as not only surprising but unbelievable.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2016 declared Tompolo wanted.
The anti-graft agency in an advertorial signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said it declared Tompolo wanted following two bench warrants issued against him by a Federal High Court in Lagos, where he had been charged with N45.9 billion fraud.
In the said advertorial which carried a photograph of Tompolo, the EFCC described him as a 47-year-old, dark-complexioned man from Okerenkoko, Gbaramotu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
However on July 15, 2019, a Federal Court dismissed the charges against Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd, a company linked to the former Niger Delta militant leader.