ASABA, Nigeria – The tug-of-war between Nigeria’s naval authorities and the private security firm Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited continues as the company, owned by Chief Government Ekpemukpolo (alias Tompolo), insists that the vessel intercepted by Tantita was indeed involved in illicit activities.
The MT PRAISEL, seized by Tantita on August 2nd, was allegedly en route to an unauthorized destination.
In a statement released on Saturday, August 5, 2023, the firm denounced Nigeria Navy’s claims that the vessel was not on an illegal operation when it was diverted off the Escravos roads for further investigation by Tantita.
“Our operatives received credible intelligence that a vessel, which had obtained NMDPRA approval to deliver HPFO from Koko to Lagos offshore, was instead headed in the opposite direction,” said the Tantita statement. “When we approached the MT PRAISEL as it navigated a creek off the Benin River in Delta State, the Masters of the vessel indicated they were sailing to Bonny, contrary to their approved route.”
In what the firm describes as a protocol-aligned action, the Tantita operatives asked for the naval clearance and the vessel’s documentation.
The papers showed by the Masters indicated Koko as the port of discharge for storage, but Bonny was not indicated as the port of liberation in the documents, igniting suspicion among the Tantita team.
“This inconsistency infuriated the naval personnel on board, who demanded our operatives to immediately disembark from the vessel,” the statement continued.
Unfazed by the naval response, Tantita escalated the issue to higher authorities who ordered the vessel to anchor off Escravos roads for a detailed investigation.
In an unexpected twist, the following day, Tantita woke up to a Naval Headquarters’ press statement indicating that the NMDPRA gave approval for the MT PRAISEL to proceed to Bonny for the discharge of crude.
The press statement from Naval Headquarters sparked the firm’s incredulity, claiming that neither the Nigerian Navy clearance they had seen nor the documentation from the Masters of the vessel stated Bonny as the port of discharge.
The statement concluded with a call for clearer protocols across all approving authorities, “We have consistently asked for a single clearing house for all approvals so that each agency of government can see what the other is approving or has approved. We know that unscrupulous elements can take advantage of existing procedural gaps to transport and sell stolen crude and illegally refined products clandestinely.”
As this standoff continues, it casts a spotlight on the complexities of maritime law enforcement in Nigeria and the crucial role of private security firms in combating oil theft, an ongoing challenge for Africa’s largest oil producer.
