By Sandra Chukwunyere
Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL) has nabbed a crude oil theft attempt by four suspects in the Niger Delta region.
The Nigerian government has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against economic sabotage with the arrest of the suspects in Delta State. They were apprehended aboard the vessel MT Thor, intercepted on December 15, 2025, carrying suspected illegally sourced petroleum products.
Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL), a firm engaged in pipeline surveillance operations, played a crucial role in the arrest of the suspects.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at Koko Port in Delta State, Captain Warredi Enisouh, Executive Director of Operations at Tantita Security Services Limited, revealed that the suspects were caught with crude oil obtained through illicit means.
Captain Enisouh commended the collaborative efforts of the Inter-Agency Task Force and other security agencies in the fight against crude oil theft.
He emphasized that the arrest of the suspects and the interception of MT Thor demonstrate the effectiveness of the surveillance operations being carried out by Tantita Security Services Limited.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the vessel MT Thor is linked to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited. The owner of the jetty, Mr. Ebenezer, has been contacted by investigators and has provided additional documents, including court orders, which are currently under review.
A joint investigation team led by the Head of Investigation of the Special Prosecution Team (SPT) conducted a Joint Inspection Visit in Koko on December 16. The team inspected containers suspected to be carrying crude oil within the premises of Ebenco Global Links Limited and took samples from a storage barge.
The inspection of MT Thor was conducted on December 17, 2025, after the vessel berthed at the jetty. Investigators took samples from the vessel, which will be analyzed as part of the ongoing investigation.
The vessel was allegedly being escorted by personnel of the Police Marine Unit, Delta State, who claimed they were acting on directives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja. The police personnel are currently under investigation for their alleged involvement in the oil theft.
The Head of the Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force, Omar Sini, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to dismantle crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta. He assured that all findings would be thoroughly examined and prosecuted in line with the law.
The government’s efforts to combat oil theft have started to pay off, with Nigeria’s crude oil output increasing from 1.4 million to 1.8 million barrels per day.
