Tantita Security Services Nig. Ltd. (TSSNL) has long been in the theatre of the war against large scale oil theft in the creeks of the Niger Delta region, particularly the Western axis of the Nigerian waterways. Despite its proven record of successes, the private security firm, in the course of its pipeline security surveillance operations, may have unwittingly stepped on some powerful toes who have now allegedly orchestrated a campaign to discredit and frustrate its efforts and also advocating ceding the powers to award surveillance contract to State Governments. However, the security outfit appears unrelenting in its onslaught against economic saboteurs. ANNE AGBI reports.
The security surveillance of oil facilities in the oil-rich Niger Delta region may have come under serious threat. After a noticeable push back in large scale oil theft in the creeks of the Niger Delta region, particularly the Western axis of the Nigerian waterways, where Tantita Security Services Nig. Ltd. (TSSNL), a private security firm owned by Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, a.k.a, Tomopolo, has sustained its onslaught against the criminal enterprise, there are fears that the gains so far recorded may be reversed.
Such fears, The Nation learnt, are coming on the heels of an orchestrated campaign by some powerful forces allegedly benefitting from the large scale oil theft that has been digging a hole in the Federal Government’s purse by denying it huge revenue from oil.
The crux of the matter is that TSSNL has since clinching its contract for security surveillance of oil facilities in the Delta region stepped on toes of oil thieves and also fastened the noose on them, resulting in their businesses nose-diving. And with TSSNL’s sustained war against their criminal enterprise, they are now allegedly fighting back.
Specifically, the oil thieves and their well-heeled collaborators are said to have set booby traps for Tantita Security Services by ways of suggesting to the Federal Government what to do in the business of securing the nation’s oil pipelines, including expanding the scope of its contract with the security outfit to accommodate unscrupulous elements in the security networks.
In their own reckoning, this will loosen the noose a bit for their trade to once again blossom, as TSSNL won’t allow them a breathing space. Accordingly, a meeting was recently convened with a bid to undo what the Federal Government has done by way of ambushing the contracted awarded years ago to TSSNL. This is despite the company’s proven record of achievements.
The economic saboteurs, some of who lost at the polls and in courts, are said to have found occupation in their dangerous and self-serving call for State Governments in the Niger Delta region to be allowed to make decision of who, when and how the pipeline security surveillance contract is awarded.
The Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanakpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, noted with keen interest and suspicion moves by those he described as ‘self-styled leaders of Itsekiri’ who, according to him, recently paid a visit to Bibopere Ajube, a.k.a Shoot-at-Sight in Ese-Odo Local Government Area, Ondo State, claiming solidarity and commitment to fostering peace in the region. He said they called on the Federal Government to allow states to make input in the decision of the security surveillance contract award in a manner that sought to ambush TSSNL.
Akpdoro, who is also a notable ex-militant leader in the Niger Delta region, noted that there were more to the meeting that meet the eye, saying that Michael Diden, a.k.a Ejele, is just rising from the ashes of 2023 electoral failure to grandstand and take the usual position of usurping and frustrating the security contract.
According to Akpodoro, the “bandwagon of mischief makers in the region” that were at the anti-Tomopolo brainstorming session included were Godfrey Erewa, Emasan Mbiake, Solomon Alewinakwi, Zino Onaemo, Victor Egbo Oleemena, Matthew Udenwenkewe, and Francis Ariyo.
As far as Mayor Akpodoro is concerned, the meeting was “A reunion of mischief makers who want to sabotage and thwart the successes of TSSNL.” He, however, added that “The conspirators are overrated and disillusioned by thinking that they could influence government policies by making unreasonable calls.”
The Mayor specifically took a swipe on one Mr. Didien who he said was in the State House of Assembly at a time and could not count on a single sponsored bill by him let alone seeing same into the act of the state assembly. He described Didien’s stint in the Delta State House of Assembly as an abysmal failure.
The Mayor further said that at another time, Mr. Didien, a self-acclaimed clergy, was on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) without a history of additional value added to that intervention agency.
Mayor Akpodoro, who doubles as the National President of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A), also said Ajube, on the other hand, has always been in the forefront of attempts to undermine the person and character of Chief Tomopolo and all he represents.
His words: “Tomopolo influenced the over $15 million AKK pipeline construction contract awarded to him (Ajube) by the former President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration only for him to turn to bite the finger that fed him.
“I recall vividly that during the struggle for the emancipation of our region and people, Ajube was a boat washer and an errand boy to the Big Heart called Tomopole until the grandmaster (Tomopolo) pushed him up in camp using Camp 5 as his launching pad.
“When in the twilight of the struggle for the region, Chief Tomopolo exiled himself and while in exiled instructed his associates to support Ajube for a $15 million surveillance contract to enable him eke out a living, this emboldened him to see himself as being powerful.
An indigene of Arogbo, Ondo State, with zero oil and gas facilities, if not mischief purpose, what would warrant an Ejele to go that far pledging loyalty and solidarity to Tomopolo’s boy? They are blinded by their inordinate desire to undo a man whom God has blessed. What a wasted effort demonstrated by political half-bakes who have no grip on their immediate constituencies.”
Akpodoro noted with disdain that Didien represented himself and not Itsekiri at the anti- Tomopolo meeting, emphasizing that the entire Niger Delta region is fully behind the progress being made by the TSSNL in its efforts at exterminating oil thieves from the Western axis of the Delta.
The Mayor stated that upon being awarded the contract for the surveillance of the pipelines security, TSSNL has not left anyone in doubt of its capacity to stop oil thieves both locally and internationally on their track, including those he said were their notable accomplices.
According to the Mayor, oil theft and sundry criminalities in the oil industry in the country was a retirement business for fallen politicians who could no longer meet up with the political pace and this, he said, was the reason for the Arogbo meeting. He, however, noted that no amount of conspiracies can halt or reverse the steady progress being made by TSSNL, not even their Arogbo meeting.
He insisted that TSSNL is a new phenomenon in the security of oil industry in Africa and this fact, according to him, is underscored by the overwhelming support by Nigerians of goodwill including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Duoye Diri and the entire broad spectrum of prominent sons and daughters of Niger Delta region.
Also, Nigerians outside the region, Akpodoro noted, in their large numbers, are overwhelmingly in support of the success-driven operations of the TSSN including members of the National Assembly, the Emirs and the Presidency.
“The self-serving call by Didien and his co-travellers is insignificant to the yearnings of well-meaning Nigerians. The State Governments already have enough issues in their hands. It’s needless for a bunch of political jobbers to advocate ceding the powers to award surveillance contract to the state.
“Didien and his ilk should look elsewhere because the award of such sensitive contract by the Federal Government takes a lot of profiling and certainly the characters making such calls suffer huge reputational injuries to the extent that they can never pass through the eye of the security needle,” Mayor Akpodoro said.
He pointed out that the Nigerian oil industry is directly in the purview of the Federal Government who, he noted, is not ready to abdicate its responsibility to the state in that regard. The Mayor noted that the most important thing should be to advocate upward review of the TSSNL contract sum and open up the operational areas of the security firm.
“Security is a serious business that should not be left in the hands of moral delinquents and social misfits who are desperate for empowerment against the Nigerian State. The Federal Government should allow TSSNL to subsume other unknown firms in the surveillance contract awards to lead the way for a well secure petroleum industry.
“The oil and gas resources in Nigeria are an exclusive right of the Federal Government to explore, manage and protect and it is not for a disgruntled bunch to ask for the state to be allowed to decide when and how it is protected.
“Since the contract was awarded to TSSNL, there have been sleepless nights among economic saboteurs and those who wish to break into the water-tight security and surveillance of the pipelines to enable them get rich quickly,” Mayor Akpodoro charged.
He said apart from ignorance, the Ese-Odo call made by Ajube visitors was ill motivated, ill-informed and with the aim at creating loopholes for political jobbers who lost out from power play in the state to hijack and ultimately, open up the pipelines for massive oil theft having been fended off by the agility demonstrated by TSSNL.
“It is instructive to call on the Federal Government to ignore such self-serving entities whose aspiration is to undermine national progress as it concerns the security of the nation’s waterways,” the Mayor concluded.
