By Adegbenro Barakat Opeyemi( SIWES Student, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic)
In addition to TSSNL, other security agencies that played a role in the capture of the vessel included the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
According to sources, the suspects were arrested after the vessel was detected loading stolen crude from illegal pipeline connections along the Nembe Creek in Bayelsa State.
The crude was later offloaded into large storage tanks to be transported through the waterways to an illegal refinery site.
In what looks like another major catch in less than a month, operatives from Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), owned by Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, in collaboration with other security forces, intercepted another thieving vessel and apprehended 15 suspects on suspicion of crude oil theft in Bayelsa State.
The vessel, the MT Harbour Spirit, with IMO No: 8226272, which was carrying about 88,000 liters of stolen crude oil, is currently being held at the Tantita facility in Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu.
The Executive Director of Operations at Tantita, Captain Warriedi Enisuoh, displayed the ill-fated Harbor Spirit and its 13 arrested crew members and two community accomplices to journalists on Tuesday at the Tantita facility in Oporoza, Gbaramatu Kingdom, near Escravos.
Enisuoh explained that after receiving a tip-off about the vessel’s illegal activities, the TSSNL operations team swiftly tracked the vessel and arrested it in Bayelsa waters.
He noted that the suspects had been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and prosecution. He also warned all persons involved.
Enisuoh noted that the ship was arrested at around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning as it was loitering around the Segana Oil Field in Bayelsa, where it was already anchored at one of the oil platforms and illegally loading crude oil.
According to Enisuoh, at the time of the arrest, the vessel had already siphoned about 88,000 liters of crude oil, but the main goal of the arrest was to prevent oil theft.
He noted that TSSNL has been working hard to combat oil theft in the region and that the arrest of the ship. Enisuoh told journalists that Tantita security operatives had been tracking the arrested ship for a while after receiving security reports.
He explained that the surveillance in collaboration with other security agencies was aimed at discovering the sponsors of the ship and those who have been using it to commit crimes against the country.
He also stated that TSSNL’s operations team had seized four more oil theft vessels since the company’s inception in July 2022. Enisuoh added that TSSNL had recovered over N1.4 billion worth of stolen crude oil and other assets, as well as apprehending dozens of suspected oil thieves.
The success here today is a result of the strict instruction and order given by the Chief of Defence Staff on how to deal with the scourge of crude oil theft, which has been strongly supported by the entire security forces, he said.
Enisuoh expressed his pleasure with the cooperation between Tantita and other security agencies and noted that the vessel was not registered in Nigeria.
He praised the work of the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies in combating oil theft, which he described as an economic crime of enormous scale.
He also praised the efforts of the Niger Delta communities. When asked about the incident by journalists, the captain of the seized oil theft vessel, who identified himself as Shittu Joseph, confirmed that he was apprehended at the loading point in Segana by the Tantita and NSCDC operatives.
Joseph stated that he and his crew were not pleased with the aborted operation, as they were already attempting to find a way out when the security forces arrived.
He went on to say that their assignment was only to load crude oil from the location where they were arrested and transport it to a nearby illegal refinery for processing. Joseph also denied having any knowledge of who owns the ship or who was funding.
He continued by saying that three of my crew members even jumped into the water and we still haven’t heard from them. Joseph went on to say that he and his crew were only ordinary seamen looking for work and were not involved in any illegal activities.
He emphasized that they were only doing their job when they were arrested and stated that they had nothing to do with the ship’s ownership or financing.
He also claimed that they were unaware of any illegal activity taking place on the ship and were not involved in it in any way.
CSP Omar John Sini, the head of the Police Special Task Force on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering, informed journalists that investigations have begun and that further developments and the eventual outcome of the investigation will be made public through the office of the Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police Force.
He added that the police had made significant progress in previous arrests and that additional information will be made available soon through the Force Public Relations Officer’s office.
He also expressed gratitude to the state government and local communities for their help in combating oil theft in the state.
He added, Please be assured that, in accordance with the Inspector General of Police’s directive, a thorough investigation will be conducted, aimed at identifying and prosecuting the individuals responsible for this crime.
This is a continuation of the efforts by TSSNL and the NSCDC in January when they apprehended a ship stealing crude oil in the Niger Delta.
Since its creation in 2022, TSSNL has made significant progress in combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region, and it continues to work tirelessly to ensure the security and economic prosperity of Nigeria.
The MT Kali with number 8782800 was intercepted while allegedly transporting a significant amount of illegal crude oil from the offshore Sokebolou Field base in Bayelsa State.
The achievement garnered accolades from President Bola Tinubu and other patriots across the country, and TSSNL was awarded the Private Security Outfit of the Year by the New Telegraph newspaper in Lagos.
The operation was carried out by a joint task force consisting of the NSCDC, the Nigerian Navy, and the Nigerian Police, with support from TSSNL. It is a testament to the effectiveness of collaboration between private security and law enforcement.
