CRUDE OIL THEFT, TANTITA ON IT AGAIN, ARRESTS VESSEL CONVEYING STOLEN OIL

BY AMBROSE OKEHI

Tantita Security Services Limited is on it again. This time around and in keeping to its official mandate of ridding the country of oil theives, Tantita, a private security firm, has again arrested an ocean-going vessel conveying thousands of metric tonnes of ‘stolen crude’ oil offshore Bayelsa state.

Recall that for some months since last year, the company has the successful security activities of the company have vigorously being carried on national media and news on their operations have featured prominently in the recent time.

Equally, the security company has also been a torn in the flesh of those notorious crude oil theives in the recent time.

The vessel named MT Kally, according to sources, was apprehended during a joint operation by the officials of TSSL, owned by Government ‘Tompolo’ Ekpemupolo, and operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday night.

News Emperor was authoritatively informed that an engineer and a captain of the vessel, who were identified as Promise Eze and Adeboye David, respectively, were arrested along with other accomplices from some Bayelsa state oil communities, and they were kept on board the vessel on Friday night as investigation into the vessel continued.

The management of Tantita said before they were apprehended, the crew

and their local accomplices were allegedly syphoning crude oil onto the vessel from the offshore Sokebolou field in Bayelsa state.

A preliminary report of the incident, according to Tantita, revealed the first manifold of the vessel was being loaded before the intervention of the security team.

Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director, Tantita operations, interrogated Eze and Adeboye, who said the vessel was mobilised from Lagos to transport crude oil illegally from offshore locations in Bayelsa state.

According to the duo, they departed Lagos following assurances by their boss, whom they declined to name, that all security agencies along the shore had been compromised, allowing them to carry out their illicit business.

Tantita disclosed that they refused to name the security agencies involved in the alliance, but revealed they work for a company named San-San.

Enisuoh said the vessel has been anchored at a location of Nigerian National Petroleum NNPC Limited in Oporoza in Delta state, saying the suspects were kept on board the vessel.