Security Operatives of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta
Safe, in collaboration with Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, have set
ablaze an intercepted vessel carrying barrels of stolen crude oil in the
Escravos area of Delta State.
The vessel was set ablaze by a military helicopter.
The vessel allegedly owned by a Nigerian registered company,
was heading to Cameroon with the cargo onboard when it was apprehended at an
offshore location with the captain and crew members onboard.
According to the Executive Director of Operations and
Technical at Tantita Security, Captain Warred Enisuoh and the Commander of the
Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the oil
cargo was illegally sourced from a well-jacketed offshore in Ondo State with no
valid documentation at the time of the arrest.
The said vessel had operated in stealth mode for the last 12
years.
The discovery was the latest in the series of disturbing
findings by the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a security outfit
owned by former militant leader Government Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo and
contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Unending Controversy
In October 2022, security agents also destroyed a vessel
used for crude oil theft off the Niger Delta creeks after the vessel was
reportedly arrested by Tompolo’s firm.
The destruction of the vessel generated controversy as some
Nigerians fumed at the action of security agents, saying the vessel should have
been preserved as an exhibit to prosecute the owners of the vessel.
The House of Representatives subsequently said it would
investigate the circumstances surrounding the destruction of the oil bunkering
vessel by security agents.
However, the Federal Government defended the swift
destruction of the vessel, saying it was in line with the rules of engagement.
The then Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said
the vessel was caught in the act and security agents subsequently set the “instrument
of operation” ablaze, noting that no investigation is needed to carry out the
action.
Add Comment