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…Demands immidiate release of detained operatives
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The running battle between pipeline protection security company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian Navy got worse with the former faulting the Navy over the arrest of its operatives and some of its personnel last week.
The pipeline security protection firm in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja accused the Navy of arresting its personnel on the trail of suspected oil thieves and detaining them for carrying out their lawful duty.
“The continued detention by the Nigerian Navy of these five brave, selfless Nigerians who risked their lives on the high seas to protect our commonwealth is a disservice to our nation,” TSL said in the statement issued yesterday.
The Navy had claimed that Tantita patrol team was arrested following the realisation that the “four individuals were part of a movement of a large wooden boat laden with 11x1000L Geepee tanks with product suspected to be stolen crude oil.”
But narrating what transpired, TSL explained that its eight-man patrol team operating in Ondo State received credible intelligence on Monday that a motorised wooden boat was illegally loading crude oil from an offshore oil well jacket operated by Cavendish Nigeria Limited, where the MT TURA II was caught stealing crude oil a few months ago.
An advance team, it further explained, was dispatched to find the wooden boat while a back-up team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was assembled to follow through on the lead.
The TSL in its statement backed with a video clip of the incident, further said that the advance team with the help of local fishermen was able to determine that the motorised wooden boat was heading in the direction of Lagos and gave hot pursuit.
“Upon noticing the approaching Tantita teams, the crew of the motorised wooden boat abandoned the wooden boat for their speed boat. One team of Tantita and NSCDC personnel boarded the wooden boat to secure the evidence while another team gave hot pursuit.
“There is video evidence of the Tantita team together with NSCDC personnel. There is also evidence of the Tantita and GSA team giving chase to the crew of the boat,” the statement read.
