From Ben Dunno, Warri
Former militant warlord and Chief Executive Officer of Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly called Tompolo, has accused the Nigerian Navy of alleged complicity in the ongoing war against illegal oil bunkering in the region.
Specifically, he accused the naval high Command of frustrating efforts of the security outfit in combating the activities of major oil thieves, especially those involving their foreign collaborators who carried out their criminal activities on the nation’s territorial waters.
Raising the alarm while receiving the national executive of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) led by its National President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), at Oporoza, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday, Ekpemupolo, accused the Navy of aiding and abetting of illegal bunkering activities within its coverage areas. While alleging that the Navy had been operating at cross purpose with other state actors and private security outfit saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding the nation’s critical assets, he noted that part of the major constraint some of its operatives have had to contend with in recent time was majorly the intimidation by Naval personnel in the course of discharging their duties. Ekpemupolo who lamented the worrisome dimension the trend had assumed in recent time attributed this to the shortfalls the nation had experienced in its crude oil production per day until it was decided to face the issue head-on before the improvement being experienced today.
“While doing this work, we have stepped on a lot of toes of people over there in Lagos and Abuja. Most times, you see that Tantita Security Services now have engaged in open confrontation with the Nigerian Navy, which has refused to cooperate with us in the war against crude oil theft.
“The Navy is working at cross purposes with other government and private security agencies saddled with the responsibility to curb illegal oil bunkering. The Navy is aiding and abetting these criminals to continue to sabotage the nation’s economy.
“In fact, the Nigerian Navy is frustrating us. The operatives of the Navy are colluding and collaborating with these criminals to swindle the nation. The operatives are neck deep in the menace of oil bunkering. They are making it difficult for us to win the war.
“Just a few days ago, men of Tantita Security Services intercepted a vessel carrying stolen crude oil in Port-Harcourt, the personnel of the Nigerian Navy provided escort duties onboard the vessel.
“The Navy personnel onboard the vessel and others speedily mobilised to the scene with gunboats and other equipment, opened fire on our men and officials of civil defence corp and DSS, who insisted that the vessel cannot sail further.
“The Naval personnel eventually prevailed due to their superior firepower, to secure passage for the vessel.
“Similar situation occurred at Ovwian community in Delta State, recently, when Naval personnel also overpowered and subdued Tantita operatives to secure safe passage for other vessels carrying stolen crude. The cases of involvement of Naval personnel in oil theft are too many to recount here.
“Every well-meaning Nigerian knows the function of the Nigerian Navy and Tantita now, but nobody wants to come out to face the truth. The Nigerian Navy we support to safeguard the nation’s maritime assets has sacrificed its constitutional obligation for pecuniary benefits.”
Ekpomukpolo did not also spare the NBA, adding that its members make their services available to arrested oil thieves.
“If we happen to arrest anybody now, we would get a lawyer from Abuja, Lagos or Ibadan to deploy all legal nuances to secure freedom for the criminal.
“We want to implore and beg members of the NBA, you have a duty to play in this present situation because if we are not careful in this country, maybe we would not have money to do any reasonable thing. All of us here know that Nigeria is facing hardship.
“We are going to do our part locally. But you are there at the top. If we arrest today, lawyers would stand on the other side and this side. What I want to appeal is that you need to help us. If somebody is coming to load a vessel of 500 metric tonnes, in this community, nobody has that capacity to embark on such a job here, the person comes from either Lagos or neighbouring countries or Abuja.
“An hungry man here, who is serving as an errand boy to the barons, is the one that would be arrested.”
However, despite the challenges, Ekpemupolo assured that Tantita would collaborate with other patriotic bodies to ensure steady rise in the production of crude oil.
He congratulated all stakeholders who made the recent attainment of 1.8mbpd production of crude oil possible and assured that that Tantita would spare no efforts to ensure that 2mbpd of crude oil was attained by December, 2023.
In his response, Osigwe hailed Tantita and other stakeholders on the attainment of 1.8m barrels of crude oil per day.
He promised that the NBA would collaborate with Tantita and other stakeholders to stamp out the menace of crude oil theft in the region.