LAGOS/Nigeria: In response to allegations of involvement in crude oil theft, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a company owned by former Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) leader High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, issued a statement on Friday, September 1st, 2023, condemning the Nigerian Navy for purportedly neglecting their duties and urged them to halt what they described as the “blackmail, harassment of Tantita security personnel, and the spread of misinformation to the public.”
In a statement titled “THE ARREST OF TANTITA OPERATIVES AND PARADE BY THE NIGERIAN NAVY – A TRAGICOMEDY OF ERRORS,” Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited vehemently denied any involvement in crude oil theft and challenged the narrative presented by the Nigerian Navy.
Tanita Operatives In Pursuit of Crude Oil Thieves in High Sea
The dispute between Tantita and the Navy traces back to an incident involving the MT Praisel, where Tantita chose to defer to the Navy’s authority, believing it to be a misunderstanding that could have been resolved amicably for the greater good of safeguarding Nigeria’s waterways against economic sabotage by oil thieves.
However, the recent incident, occurring merely three weeks later, raised doubts within Tantita. According to the Nigerian Navy, on August 29, 2023, they thwarted an alleged attempt by Tantita operatives to steal crude oil. The Navy claimed to have received distress calls from youths in Itolou Community in the Lekki area of Lagos, responding promptly to the situation. They asserted that they encountered four individuals wearing black polo shirts with “TANTITA” inscribed on the back while attempting to recover a dismantled outboard engine from a local resident. Subsequently, the Navy arrested these four Tantita employees.
Tantita Security Services countered this narrative, emphasizing that the only alleged crime committed by their personnel at the time of arrest was attempting to retrieve a dismantled outboard engine. They expressed bewilderment at the Navy’s sudden revelation that the arrested individuals were connected to a large wooden boat laden with suspected stolen crude oil, a disjointed aspect of the story they found questionable.
Evidence of Boat With Stolen Crude Oil Taking Place in Water
Tantita provided their account of events, indicating that their patrol team had received credible intelligence about a motorized wooden boat illegally loading crude oil from an offshore oil well jacket, precisely the same location where the MT TURA II had been caught stealing crude oil a few months earlier. They dispatched teams to investigate, including personnel from the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NSCDC). Contrary to the Navy’s claims, Tantita asserted that they had eight personnel involved, not four as stated by the Navy.
Video evidence showed Tantita and NSCDC personnel attempting to secure the wooden boat, which was taking in water, possibly from an attempt by the escaping crew to scuttle it. Surprisingly, the fleeing crew headed toward the Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base at Ibeju-Lekki, where the Navy arrested Tantita personnel, subsequently freeing the fleeing crew and taking control of the wooden boat.
Tantita criticized the Nigerian Navy’s actions as a smear campaign and questioned the whereabouts of the boat in question, calling it a cover-up. They challenged the Navy’s use of costly assets for communal disputes involving outboard engine ownership and demanded clarity on the investigation into the reported shooting in Itolou community.
Furthermore, Tantita highlighted discrepancies in the time frames presented by the Navy’s press release, casting doubt on the accuracy of the events as described. They concluded that the arrest and parade of their staff as common criminals was unwarranted, asserting that these individuals risked their lives to protect national interests.
Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited expressed disappointment in the continued detention of their personnel by the Nigerian Navy and called for a resolution of the matter in the interest of justice and national security.**
