News spreading like wildfire about ex-militant, Tompolo and his pipeline surveillance contract agreed to by the Federal Government and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Limited.
He, Government Ekpemupolo, was a former militant leader and Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND.
The deal he signed is meant to end illegal bunkering, unlawful refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
He got a similar contract back when former President Goodluck Jonathan ruled Nigeria.
The Government might have hastened the contract signing due to the recent tragedy that struck the region when a fleeing supertanker carrying crude oil managed to fall into the hands of the Equatorial Guinea Navy.
The vessel was seized on Friday with the help of intelligence supplied to that country by the Nigerian Navy.
Oil theft, among other similar crimes, triggered the need to move swiftly and sign the pipeline surveillance contract with Tompolo.
It was gathered that the source close to the ex-militant revealed that the current deal is worth over N4billion monthly.