Oil Theft: Ondo Tantita Boss Hails Bayelsa Arrest, Lauds Tinubu

The commandant in charge of Ondo State chapter of the Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), Senior High Chief Felix Idowu Asonja, has expressed plaudits for the steady wins of TSSL in the fight against oil theft, pipelines damages and related crimes in the country.

Asonja's laudation is coming on the heels of a major arrest of a vessel conveying thousands of metric tonnes of ‘stolen crude’ oil offshore Bayelsa state during the weekend. The vessel, named MT Kally, was apprehended during a joint operation by the officials of TSSL and operatives of the Nigerian Security and the Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

"In his reaction, Senior High Chief Asonja, said Tantita is result-driven and committedly pursues its mandate with sincerity of purpose. And that is the reason it continues to soar with results in spite of the campaign of calumny by naysayers. It is a matter of time, Nigeria will see very clearer who is truly committed, sincere and patriotic.

"I must sincerely applaud and appreciate the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his confidence in Tantita, his encouragement and commitment to the rule of law. My illustrious boss and coach, Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, has also being on top of the game. He continues to give inspiring leadership and prioritises results over grandstanding."

Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL) is a private security firm with the mandate of ridding Nigeria of oil thieves, 

According to Tantita, the engineer and captain of the vessel, who were identified  as Promise Eze and Adeboye David, respectively, along with accomplices from some Bayelsa state oil communities, were kept on board the vessel on Friday night as investigation into the vessel continued.

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.

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a probe into the arrest of an oil bunkering vessel, MT Kali, in the offshore location of the Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bayelsa State.

The investigation team is headed by the chief of defence intelligence (CDI), Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye. The team has the mandate to unmask the barons of the illicit business deal.