Tompolo intercepts Lagos-bound vessel loaded with illegal crude oil in Delta

The pipeline surveillance contract recently awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in order to curb the problem of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the country, appears to be yielding the expected results.

Tantita Services Limited is a security outfit owned by Oweizide Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and leader of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).

According to GbaramatuVoice, Tantita Security operatives on Thursday, October 7, 2022 successfully apprehended a crude oil tanker, MT Deinmo, with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number 7210526, loaded with an unspecified quantity of crude oil at the Escravos River in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta state.

During a search on the ship, eight crew members were apprehended by the Tantita Security personnel.

One of the security personnel who was part of the operation told GbaramatuVoice that, they got a tip off that a ship was loading at the Escravos axis. The Tantita security officers went to the place and got the ship arrested.

The security operative further added that he was offered a bribe of N25m to let the ship go but he turned down the offer.

On the capacity of the ship, he explained that the ship is 1,500 metric tons and had on board eight all Nigerian crew members.

While noting that the captain confessed that they came in from Lagos and that if they were not arrested, the ship would have sailed back to Lagos.

News Band gathered that the intercepted ship has been handed over to the Nigerian Navy on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a team of Tantita Security Services led by its Managing Director, Engr. Kestin Pondi, on Friday, took security operatives and oil industry leaders, including Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari, among others to the site of illegal oil pipeline deftly plugged into the Trans-Escravos pipeline.

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